old steam loco blinders?

what were they called and what was their purpose?

id

You're probably talking about smoke deflectors, sometimes called elephant ears. They were an attempt to throw the smoke upward and over the loco.

Hi,

Essentially correct. The Elephant Ears, such as those on # 844 Northern. Union Pacific, were most effective while going through a tunnel, preventing the crew from asphixiating on the smoke and gases. Frankly, from a railfan point of view it also made the smoke from the stack esthetically more photographable and pleasing to the eye. Of course the ears themselves sort of broke up the lines of the engine. I guess you had to get used to them.

The D&H used them on their engines as well.