Sunshades

I was never employed by the railroads, and have no idea of their logic over the "shade" versus the "boxed in window".  But I can tell you this, from someone who spent afew years running a yard dog ...(Ottawa and some poorly re-purposed day cab tractors). 

We took weather/waterproof sheets of cardboard like material..(used in auto manufacture) and cut them to size depending on the mirror set up and cab design of each truck.  The result, when zip tied to the mirror brackets of the truck...looked exactly like the photos you posted.  I could see everything I needed to see regardless of the angle of the sun, overhead lights when working 3rd shift over night, or in any weather...pouring rain, sleet, hail...etc.  All with the window rolled all the way down, and my head hanging out of it for most of the shift.

The window box makes me think of a unit that was used in severe weather (northern/western snow storms) so the crew could be able to have window closed, but still have the angle to look down the lenght of unit/consist.

Thanks. Since the MP15DC has

Thanks. Since the MP15DC has windows all around the cab I wasn’t considering the need for mirrors. I guess what I was thinking were wind deflectors or visors are actually mirrors.  

Info

Dear Rick,

In order of appearance:

- Sunshade : purpose as name implies

- "Wind deflector" : could be primarily-intended for "protect crewmember leaning out window from wind" when spotted on high-speed intermodal locos,
but on switchers more-likely to be tall narrow mirrors so the crew can "rear view mirror" what's happening while travelling "forward" 
(whichever combination of "Fwd" and "Bkwd" the situation dictates...)

- Oval windows blocked-out : Legacy, usually a holdover from the original owner of the loco
(current-owner UPY switchers came from SP, MP, WP, C&NW, RI, D&RGW, and any number of other "original owner" sources thru the fun-and-games of merger and aquisition).

The "root cause reasoning" on the part of the Original Owner was commonly linked to the FRA/AAR mandate that "all windows shall be bulletproof". The more glass area a loco has, the more glass/windows have to be not-cracked, properly mounted, and of appropriate "projectile-resistant" grade for it to be considered officially "roadworthy" per 90-day federal inspection. For switchers, this comes hard-up against the "wall of glass" cab configuration of SWs particularly, which made them excellent for close-switching visibility.

In the resulting push-n-shove between FRA/AAR, the RR (beancounters), and the Crews/Unions,
some (frugal?) Railroads determined that blocking-out/covering-over "little ancilliary windows" like the ones fore/aft of the main cab-side window allowed "less glass to maintain and upgrade to bullet-proof grade"
($$$ saving and loco-availability up-time improvement while obeying all Frederal regulations),
while not massively affecting operational visibility (and thus crew/union happiness)..

HINT: Such "window config" spotting features, combined wiith things like truck-types, can be useful in determining the Original-Owner history of any given "just another UPY switcher" loco...

HINT: such "_all_ equipment on the loco must be functional before it can be deemed ready-to-rock" requirements were also responsible for the removal/decommissioning/plating-over of other "high maintainence" items such as the very-Railroady MARS, GYRA, and similar "signal/safety lights". The less you need to maintain/fix to get a unit to "pass inspection", the higher-uptime/availability that loco has to do "real work" like haul trains...

- "Window Box" : known as "all-weather" or "high visibility" windows. Commonly seen on locos from snow and similar-affected "heavy weather" locations. The idea is that the crewmember can "lean out the cab and look ahead/behind" while still enclosed/does not have to actually _open_ the window to the elements.
(Note that many "typical EMD" cabs don't seal-well or retain heat from the cab-heater at the best of times,
why would you want to have the window or door open any longer than you absolutely have to in a chilly snowy Chicago or similar winter?)

Again, this can be a spotting feature of a loco assigned to "snowy locations" and the possibly Original Owner history of the unit.
EG SOO MP15s in Chicago.
EG The "circular windshield wiper" of the SDs assigned to snow-fighting over Donner Pass on SP/UP?

I hope this helps...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Thank you for that great

Thank you for that great response.   Very informative.

I started down this path because I got an Atlas MP15DC and couldn't figure out what some parts labeled "cab glazing" were for.  Very few pictures show them installed but here is one:

I'm still not sure what Atlas intends for these to be but I am guessing it is a poor rendition of the window box.  Much more work would need to be done for it to look realistic.

Rick

Deflectors

Dear Rick,

If they are stock Atlas parts, I'd say they are attempts at "deflectors"/mirrors, the Athearn MP15 comes with recognisable "all weather windows" as shown in this factory image of a SOO unit



Altas are pretty good at providing exploded and part diagrams, might be worth a poke around the Atlas site, or on HOSeeker.com

Happy Modelling, 

Aim to Improve, 

Prof Klyzlr

I have the Atlas

I have the Atlas diagram; that is how I know they are called "cab glazing".  They just didn't seem to really do anything so I decided to poke around and figure it out before I glued them on.  I think I'll just pass and leave them off.

Thanks for your help.

Rick

Glazing = Glass sort of

The glazing refers to the material that is in the window. It could be glass but could by something else as well. The main thing is that it is regulated by the FRA. I work at a tourist railroad that is under RFA rules so I know a bit about it. There is Type I and Type II glazing. If you get the wrong glazing in the wrong spot it can cost your anywhere from $1000 to $2500. If you do it on purpose then it goes from $1500 to $5000. The glazing must include the Type I or Type II designation. Failure to have it on the material will cost you $1000. Unless the model has the type printed on it (would be microscopic I think) treat any window material as glazing.