Air Conditioning on Local Freight motors

Do EMD or GE make motors the size of the GP's used in local freight service that have air conditioning?

Airco is an aftermarket Item on most smaller locomotive. their usualy roof mounted if overhead clearance allows.
The units look like airco's used on a motorhome.

I was wondering because in VA the temperatures today are expected at around 100 degrees. On CSX, most of the thru-frt lead motors are AC equipped. But the local frt aren't. I imagine it must be brutal for the engineer on 12 hr days.

blippo wrote:I was wondering because in VA the temperatures today are expected at around 100 degrees. On CSX, most of the thru-frt lead motors are AC equipped. But the local frt aren't. I imagine it must be brutal for the engineer on 12 hr days.

Oh yeah, that poor hog, sittin' on a train moving a lever back and forth whilst enjoying a cold drink!

The guys on the ground <i>really</i> suffer, but yay, the cab in a light engine can be like an oven. Most at least have a fan though and on the NS at least, 90% of the light engines are retrofitted with aftermarket A/C (but many don't work right).

When a crew gets power, they ask two questions: Does the A/C work? And do the seats recline?

Light power sucks, give me a widebody anytime.

-r

The GP 40's on this part of CSX don't have fans or those aftermarket AC units. That would be a good idea but I know CSX aren't going to spend the money on it.

razor wrote:
Oh yeah, that poor hog, sittin' on a train moving a lever back and forth whilst enjoying a could drink!

The guys on the ground <i>really</i> suffer, but yay, the cab in a light engine can be like an oven. Most at least have a fan though and on the NS at least, 90% of the light engines are retrofitted with aftermarket A/C (but many don't work right).

When a crew gets power, they ask two questions: Does the A/C work? And do the seats recline?

Light power sucks, give me a widebody anytime.

-r

Man, you NS guys got it rough.

Oh yeah, that's right. I almost forgot. None of our yards are air-conditioned either.

You should see our ALP-46 locos. Like sitting in a BMW. Cold AC. Quiet. Nice high-backed recliner to insulate the engineer from his rough train-handling. What a cush job.

Doesn't stop them from crying, however.

But it does keep them from buying!

One question that has always come to my mind is why in the hell do all these Southern and Western Railroads paint there Locomotives Black? After all Black attracts the sun where as White would reflect it.

That's easy, SRS, to keep employee dis-comfort at maximum levels. Also, black engines tend to hide oil/fuel leaks, and and exhuast-born fallout. Mostly, though, it's to make the crews suffer. Regards

I don't know how it is on the rest of the system, but in the Portland Hub we use old SD40s for our road manifest trains. You hope you don't catch one of those with the heat we've been having. No AC, no fridge, best you can do is wire that front door open and hope your air slip doesn't blow off the back wall. Our TDDs also give the temperature, last night we passed over one that was still 87 degrees at 1:20 AM.

SRS125 wrote:One question that has always come to my mind is why in the hell do all these Southern and Western Railroads paint there Locomotives Black? After all Black attracts the sun where as White would reflect it.

Black and white are the cheapest paint colors. "White power" just seems wrong, so we paint them black.

-r

LOL