I’m really not up on the new locos, as my interests are primarily postwar thru the '50s - so please indulge me with what may be “rookie” questions…
In looking at the Overland ads for models of “genset” locos, there are several beautifully painted locos - UP, BNSF, etc. - that have this white flat box on the roof of the cab, which I suspect its for some kind of satellite connection.
IMHO, that white box is such an eyesore on those beautiful locos. Why are they white, and not the parent roads colors? Is there a legitimate reason, or is it just no big deal to the RR?
The bigger white boxes on the roof - suitcase-size - are the AC units. The GPS antenna is the small square one, about 1 ft. on each side. The fin-like one is for radio communications.
As far as I know there’s no compelling reason for them to be white, other than that’s how they come from the factory - and they’re maybe easier for a service person on the roof to see at night or in poor lighting conditions and not stumble over or step on and break them, etc. - not a big deal to the railroad either way.
I believe the air conditioners are painted white because white reflects heat (which can be significant in some climates, especially when the unit is on the roof) and thus it “runs” cooler and lasts longer between breakdowns.
Beautiful locos? Not a phrase that I’d every expected to see apply to Gensets.
I could see interesting, unique, cool (in the 1990s Bart Simpson sense), clean-lined (sort-of), even neat looking, but Beautiful? That’s a new take…
I really like the look of the Gensets, and the switchers (SW/MP) that came before them, but as for diesels Beautiful could probably be applied only to old-school Cab units (Fs, PAs, Sharks, etc), and maybe that chromed switcher that Ford had in the 1930s…
Would not doubt what Ed said on the A/C units located on the cab roofs of the Gen Sets, but I was always under the impression that the plactoic panels on the roofs of the ‘Road’ power was part of the antenna assembly for the Distributed Power (Locotrol units)
See linked photo of BNSF 5601 for cab mounted antenna installation:
i wonder for certain of the newer and more powerful locomotives with bigger/ taller cabs if the A/C unit isn’t mounted someplace else other than on the roof because of height clearance limitations ? And/ or, if there are a lot of tunnels, as a trailing unit it could get pretty fouled by the exhaust from the leading unit(s), soot dislodged form the roof, other swirling dirt and debris, etc., which would not happen as much with the lower mounting.
[:-,] Now I’m waiting for a locomotive manufacturer to build a really tall unit to take advantage of and fill up the entire clearance envelope that’s been created on many lines for double-stacks - to like 21’-0’’ above the Top of Rail. Fairbanks-Morse, here’s an opportunity for your very high Opposed-Piston type engines . . . [:-^]
On most newer road units like Dash9s and SD60 and so forth the A/C is located under the conductors side just behind the cab…on BNSF units have you ever seen a orange locomotive with a silver panel that looks like it came off a War Bonnet paint scheme?
Because the entire A/C unit is on a “skid” of sorts, it has fork lift holes/slot in the bottom of it for quick change out, the shops pull them, replace with freshly serviced A/C unit on hand, which may or may not be painted in the “correct” paint scheme, and then rebuild or service the one they removed.
On the NS unit, the A/C is the box just behind the cab, look closely and you can see the fork lift slots.
On the above unit, the A/C was an aftermarket affair, it is on the roof.
Well I like the look of them too, but I guess they are not so welcomed in the yard. From what I have heard most of the switch crews just don’t like using them. Run 3 or Run 8…no in between.Well its Run 3 or Run 8 because the 2nd Generator doesn’t come on until Run 3, and the 3rd generator comes on at run 8 only. So pulling any decent size of loaded cars requires Run 8 just to get max power from the thing.
No dynamic brakes, and they don’t stop real well with a big, heavy cut. Being on the ground it’s also hard to get used to because they don’t make much noise, and they always listen for the noise when they are working close to the engine so they know when to expect them to actually move.
