I was looking at prototype pics of my railroad (NYC) yesterday and noted that there were both vertical and horizontal shutters on their Alco S2 switchers.
Was there a particular reason for having one type vs the other on these units? Perhaps to accommodate a different radiator-type? I also noted that the majority of RRs S2s seemed to come with the vertical shutters.
As always, I appreciate your input.
Tom
That was a wartime modification, presumably because Alco could not get the parts for the vertical shutters or needed the equipment used to make them for making war goods.
From what I can tell, the ATSF had a bunch of those with horizontal shutters also. Like the previous reply said, they were built during WW2. I guess it is safe to say the horizontal shutters were on the earlier models.
Charlie
So there was no advantage to either design; only the availability (or unavailability) of parts?
Tom
Alco went back to the vertical shutters after the war, so there probably was some advantage to using them instead of the horizontal shutters.
I don’t actually know, and am just logically speculating. It is a fact, though, that the horizontal shutters were only produced on wartime switchers.
I would like to see a photo of an S1 with the horizontal shutters, Please!
Thank You.
The wartime S-1’s had the horizontal shutters too.
Charlie