DateTime
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Author
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Posting
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03/29/2002 9:38
AM |
Bill Kuebler |
What color were the
anti-glare strips > on NP F-unit
noses? Did it vary between >
freight and passenger-painted locomotives?
> Thanks ahead - DH I
presume you mean those several strips on top of the nose. The NP referred to
them as "anti-slip" strips and they were intended to allow men to
crawl across the nose to wash/wipe the windshields without slipping off the
nose. These strips were added about
the same time the ladder rests were added to the top/sides of the nose in
1949. The vertical row of grabs serving as a ladder up the right side of the
nose was added later, in 1959-61.
As for color, most of the ones on freight units were black, and most
of the ones on passenger units were a dark green, almost matching the dark
green of the Loewy scheme but perhaps a little darker. Some freight and passenger F-9s got
white ones, but in the case of the freight units these replaced earlier black
ones. The white ones on passenger F-9s were usually units converted from
freight service in the mid-1960s. I specifically remember 6702C, 6704A, C,
6705A,C and 6706A,C as having white ones. I think 6707C did too, but think
the 6707A had dark green ones. I can think of one passenger F-9 that had
white ones when it was converted from freight in 1964, but then got dark
green ones later, in about 1968: the 6702C
(compare photos in NP Color Pictorial Vol 3, pages 44 and 45). As
always, photo evidence is best. Will look through some of my collection later
and update this info if necessary. Also, a couple of the passenger F-7s got
white ones, replacing the original dark green ones. One such unit was 6508C,
as I recall. But most passenger F-3/5/7s had dark green. anti-skid strips, anti-slip strips, nose,
F3, F7, F9, passenger, freight, color
Compiler C Frissell |