What is the point of having high noses on locomotives? What is in those noses?
On early diesels, they often housed the steam generator which provided heat for the passenger cars.
In later, non-passenger locomotives equipped with high noses, it was thought that perhaps this offered better crew protection in the event of a collision (at the expense of visibility, though). At least the crew had a bit more headroom if the unit was equipped with a toilet in the nose.