# Locomotive blinders?



## mklotz (Jul 26, 2010)

I asked this question over on MadModder but most of the answers were rather tentative so I'll repeat it here.

I've seen lots of European locomotives that have "blinders" on the sides of the boiler projecting forward around the headlight.







What is the purpose of these structures?

And a second question...

Why do you seldom see them on American locomotives? (I've never seen them on an American loco but I suppose the possibility exists.)


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## Dan Rowe (Jul 26, 2010)

Marv,
Those are not blinders they are smoke deflectors. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_deflectors

Dan

Edit:
Here is a photo of a UP Northern with "elephant ears" scroll to bottom.
http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/loco/locohs01.shtml


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## ChooChooMike (Jul 26, 2010)

There were also mechanisms to extend the smoke stack height. This would also help lift the smoke up over the engine so the engineer/fireman would have better visibility. The smoke stack could then be lowered as needed for tunnels and crossing under lower height objects.

Another part of that stack extension looks like a 90 degree elbow to further push the smoke backwards.

From the Southern California Chapter - Railway and Locomotive Historical Society at the Pomona, CA Fairplex








> Why do you seldom see them on American locomotives? (I've never seen them on an American loco but I suppose the possibility exists.)



Marv - I'm not sure the reason why the deflectors weren't in wider use on loco's in the U.S. The above mentioned WikiPedia link says something about opening up the exhaust ports on the cylinder to reduce back pressure also reduced the stack draft, resulting in the smoke not being ejected as forcefully. A freer breathing (i.e. better running) engine resulted in less smokebox draft, so the smoke tended to drift out in a more lazy fashion. The deflectors help lift the smoke up higher out of the way of the engine's cab.

Union Pacific #844 is a prime example of a late in steam life large engine with the "elephant ears" in place. She's still very much alive and operating too  Thm:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_844
















Here's one of her sister's #833 in Ogden, UT ;

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=19092






http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=301652






Another sister #813 in Council Bluff, IA

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1210108






I'm sure there's more examples. These are the ones I remember off the top of my head.

Mike


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## bentprop (Jul 26, 2010)

perhaps another reason for deflectors on european loco's,certainly in earlier times,could have been the large number of tunnels used,especially in mountainous regions.The plume of smoke looks glorious coming out of a tunnel,but must be a little suffocating in the middle of the tunnel.
Before we had a road tunnel to the neighbouring harbour town of Lyttelton,there only was a rail tunnel,(http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/heritage/earlychristchurch/lytteltontunnel.asp).Passengers used to shut the windows smartly before entering said tunnel,even though there were ventilation shafts in the roof.Perhaps deflectors might have helped there,but were not fitted to the loco's used.


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## mklotz (Jul 26, 2010)

Thanks, all. That was the consensus over at Mad Modder.

It still seems strange to me that one sees them so seldom on American locos.


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## Groomengineering (Jul 27, 2010)

Just an idea, but the earlier Baldwins etc. had very tall smokestacks to keep the smoke out of the cabs. Maybe the blinder 'style' just never caught on. :shrug:

Cheers

Jeff


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## bearcar1 (Jul 27, 2010)

Hans has the correct answer to the question. The draft panels are just that. 'Most' American rail iron had adequate enough draft through their boilers and utilized taller exhaust flues on the wood burners, however, the American iron that these devices usually appeared on were in mountainous regions. These engines ran through tunnels quite frequently and the panels assisted the draw of the fire while the engines traveled through them. They created a swirl effect in the air steam that broke up the smoke column and also helped the boiler fire breathe instead of being snuffed by the accumulation of smoke in the smoke box. I'd really have hated to have been an engineer in a tunnel with one of those bad boys belching all that coal smoke. (the equivalent of "how many packs of cancer sticks", each and every time? It is an interesting study of the development of the locomotive boiler as the companies were always trying to squeeze the most efficiency out of machines.

BC1
Jim


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## ChooChooMike (Jul 28, 2010)

> I'd really have hated to have been an engineer in a tunnel with one of those bad boys belching all that coal smoke.


Look at the Cab Forwards that ran around the western U.S. Essentially running the engine in reverse so the smoke stack is behind the cab. The railroads around the Sierras Mountains have a lot of tunnels and snowsheds. Putting the stack behind the cab kept the smoke/ash behind and away from the engineer/fireman. Of course the conductor/brakeman in the caboose ..... that's another story.

Some engines were equipped with a hood/mask the guys would put over their heads (a crude gas mask) while going thru tunnels. They'd hook up a hose to the engine's air lines and breathe that way while in the tunnel. Talk about the blind leading the blind !!

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/cabforward/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_forward






The only remaining cab-forward engine is safely ensconced in the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, CA. Very cool !! It's many a steam locomotive fan's dream to see one of these run again Thm: (don't hold your breath)

Mike


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