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 #1347248  by urrengr2003
 
Picture of PA #77 on the Argentine Service Tracks in 10-65 indicates the letter "L" stenciled immediately above the cast buffer in the middle of the center yellow on the front of the carbody. What does this indicate?
 #1352233  by Allen Hazen
 
I don't know.
However, Santa Fe used "L" (for "leading"?) as the designation of one of the A-units of a multiple-unit carbody locomotive set: an ABBA set of F units would be designated as units L, A, B, and C, with C being the other A-unit. Their PA locomotives were delivered as three-unit ABA sets. So, for example, the first set, I think, would originally have been numbered 51L, 51A (the booster), and 51B. (Or originally planned to be so numbered: the possibility of having different trains headed by A-units of the same number seems to have been undesirable enough that they were renumbered, perhaps before delivery, as 51L, 51A and 52L. I think.)

Anyway... There was a set one of whose units -- originally, I think, the 60B -- got renumbered 77L. I think. (Sorry, I have just looked at the roster at thedieselshop.us, which isn't as clearly laid out as it could be.) It is at least possible that the "L" painted on the front marked that this was the L units of a set.

Real Santa Fe experts please correct me.
 #1429946  by John_Perkowski
 
Santa Fe did not use the L on the numberboard of "A" A units, but did on the trailing "C" A units. The B and C units were painted as such, and did not have numberboards that I'm aware of.
 #1569732  by Engineer Spike
 
I have the book about D&H’s rebuilding program for the ex Santa Fe PA fleet. It mentioned the numbering sequence with one cab unit of the set having had the L suffix and another letter suffix for the other cab unit of the set. The book states how eventually it was desirable for flexibility in the fleet to mix the cabs and boosters. It might cause an accident if there was an order which went into effect after the arrival of 51L west. Someone could have seen 51C go by, not seen the suffix, and opened up. Meanwhile 51L west could still be coming. The class was renumbered so that each cab had a distinctive number.

In the book this was mentioned because the renumbering made a difference in the sequence of the order in which the units were rebuilt. They want to keep units of the same production phase rebuilt together. Apparently there had been design changes along the span of production. This way they could do one batch based on on set of blueprints before having to change to the next.