Standard Cabs vs Widecabs

Antonio,

There were six units, three GP59 and three GP60 built with the modified cab (which wasn’t used on the SD60 demonstrators built at the same time - maybe SDs weren’t considered “fast” enough).

EMD 5,6 and 7 were GP60s and they may have stayed with EMD. EMD 8,9 and 10 were GP59s and became Norfolk Southern 4606 to 4608. These, with the other NS GP59s, were used on the Triple Crown Roadrailers in the 1990s, I’m told (The one time I saw it it had a GP50).

The vee-front cab reminded me of Alcos!

Peter

I will have to say that my favorite GE standard cabs are the C32-8’s and C39-8’s with their low cab roof lines in relation to the Carbody behind…I believe they were nicknamed Camels by some… Conrail’s C32-8’s were later painted in Ballast Express Gray. I know NS got rid of their share of Conrail C32’s…don’t recall if CSX got any of those, and if they still have them. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

Peter M636C. Thanks for the heads up. I’m going search www.railpictures.net and hopefully those units should be there.

Drailed, ShaunCN.

RE: The CN cab and the DDA40X. This gets interesting here. The Canadian Cab was a “Wide Cab” and more spacious than the standard cab.

The cab on the DDA40X was not officially classified as a “Wide Cab”. The cab came from the streamlined F45 / FP45 “Cowl” units ( The Big Jacks) introduced in 1968. A few years later, the streamlined F40C and SDP40f also came with these cabs.

Since the Cowl cab was part of production catalog models, it was a simple matter for EMD to adapt it to a hood unit. That cab made the giant “DD” stand out and easily recognizable. While there is a resemblence, these were not “Safety Cabs” .

well if you railfan CN long enough you get used to all the widecabs, almost all CN road units have had them, except recent units such as SD70I’s, SD75I’s and CN’s later dash9’s came with the GE widecab, but the first 23 of CN’s dash9’s had the 4 window widecab.

That web group has the topic name Electric, Diesel and Steam Locomotives. It’s genral folder for detail related info and other little quirks of locomotives . . .

That’s exactly what I said when I saw the cab front, an Alco front made by EMD!!!

O.K Mark.

Points well taken. But isn’t the Canadian cab more cramped because of the extra seats and conductor’s desk?

You’re right. While I’ve never been inside an actual FP45, I’ve been in quite a few SDP40fs which used modified FP45 bodies. I noticed that they were quite comfortable inside, especially compared to standard or “Spartan” Cabs.

You struck my curiosity though as the big DD’s cab was from the FP45 cowl production. I went to www.railpictures.net and carefully looked at the photos of the UP unit.

It sure does seem that the DDA40X’s “cowl cab” is a tad shorter length wise; front to back, when you compare it to the FP45. Does make the cab look more cramped!

Thanks Mark, I always enjoy reading your posts! [:)][:D][8D][;)]

High Greens!

I dont like the term widecab either, how about “fatheads”?

Adrianspeeder

My guess is the cab front style is the result of the intended use of the locomotive. I am guessing EMD marketed the GP59/GP60 for running fast, light trains, while the SD60 was marketed more for lugging at slow speeds. Thus they probably tried to make the GP more aerodynamic. I have a feeling that cab front did little for this.

Like I said, the cab front did little for the aerodynamics. I was guessing why they made the cab fronts different. Looking back, it was absurd to think that the engineers at EMD would be so incompentant that they would think this would make more than a negligable difference. I more reasonable guess would be yours or that an industrial designer thought it would make the locomotive look faster.

Widecabs schmidecabs … stink pot widened crap on 2 rails. Who runs them? Now cab forward was some achievement. Those were the days.

Man you must have really been in heaven when indoor plumbing was introduced…

He must have stepped in it frequently.

LOL, [(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D] That one caught me off guard Dharmon!

I think that this was the period when road prime movers began to get the same “streamlined” effect, and EMD just followed the current fashion. Unlike truck buyers, nobody bought it, literally! I don’t think the style improved truck drag much either, given that most was due to the flat rear of the trailer! But the styling has stuck because truck buyers apparently care more about appearance. Maybe that explains the SD70ACe! I’ve just got the November “Model Railroader”, and the drawings don’t make it look any better.

Peter

I do! The were to reduce aerodynamic drag. The overall savings EMD quoted were 1% reduction at 60 mph for a typical train. Nobody bit - extra cost to purchase and own (more costly wreck repair) exceeded potential savings.

M636C, Oltmannd

Seems like you’re both correct.

In redesigning the Spartan Cab with the rounded corners, EMD at that time should have just made that cab the new Standard Cab, absorb the cost of the rounded sheetmetal and marketed the units as having “Updated, More Aerodynamic cabs that would help in fuel efficiency”.

Even with slightly higher repair costs (yes, I used to do sheetmetal…would not have been that much higher) EMD should have been already thinking that General Electric was rapidly closing the gap on EMD’s sales.

But of course today, we have the safety cab. I’m suprised that some of you prefer the old EMD Spartan Cab. I grew up watching the: **GP35, GP38-2, GP40-2, SD40, SD40-2, SD45, SD50,…**good goobly…Same Old Spartan Cab year after year! When Santa Fe introduced the GP60 with that “FP45 styled Safety Cab” I said “Yesssssss!!”. I thought it was slick!

Not too long afterwards there was GE’s version showing up left and right. Now, that one took a while to grow on me. I liked the old U-boat’s flatter “*** Tracy” face better.

Antonio,
Aren’t you bored with the safety cab yet? I mean, SD60I, GP60M, SD70M, SD70MAC, SD80, SD90, SD70ACe, C40-8W, C40-9W, …they all look alike blasting down the rail. I only get excited when it’s not a safety cab.

IIRC 1 % is the same fuel savings UPS gets for placing all those tassles above the tires on their trucks and trailers. If UPS thinks 1% is worth it, why didn’t the railroads? Does it take more than 1% for RR management to overcome inertia?

I never liked “wide cab” either. The cab is no wider than normal. It’s the nose that’s wider.