MEC 606 (SD40-2 with "snoot" nose)

[MEC407]

What's going on with the paint on the nose of 606?

606 in November 2011: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2803287

606 in December 2011: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2840913


Is the paint just peeling off in those particular areas (if so, why isn't this happening on other units?), or is this some kind of weird vandalism?

[arcadia terminal]

It looks like an paint problem, some times the paint wont stick to chrome or rubber and will flake off. Back in the 70 the federal govermant did the first bail out for Chrysler and ordered stock dodge prowe wagons for the national guard, they were painted OD green and after a year the paint was flakeing off of the chrome bumpers in sheets. They did not prime or prep the surface correctly. This is what you may be seeing on the 606.

Peter

[mokanpy]

looks to me like the paint is not sticking to the rubber grommets where class lights have been blanked out (or never installed).

[MEC407]

One wonders why this hasn't been a problem on any of their other repaints.

[toolmaker]

One wonders why this hasn't been a problem on any of their other repaints.

Maybe the wannabee painter flapping his gums over in the 470 club topic had a crack at it. ;^)

[NellsChoo]

Not to hijack this thread, but since it has the title I was going to use, here I go...

Does anyone know why this unit has such a distinctive nose? Is it factory, or did a previous road modify it?

[KSmitty]

Does anyone know why this unit has such a distinctive nose? Is it factory, or did a previous road modify it?

Snoot noses were ordered by several railroads from the factory. They came in, I believe, 2 lengths 116in and 123in compared with 88in standard nose.
The extra nose space was used to hold radio equipment and early DPU setups in some cases. As technology progressed the need for extra space disappeared as quickly as microprocessors appeared. UP has/had a lot of them, and KCS had/has some. I believe the UP units were UP purchased and KCS units were also purchased new. I don't know of any other major road who ordered them new, or who runs more than a token few picked up second hand. FEC has a couple, ex-UP, 606 is ex-KCS...

Edit---come to think of it, BNSF has some snoots as well. Not sure of the origin of those.

[NellsChoo]

AHA, so it wasn't to house steam-heat equipment, but electronics! May I ask what DPU means?

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=3155349

[KSmitty]

DPU is Distributed Power Unit. Basically it allows the engineer in the lead unit to control locomotives placed in the middle or at the rear of the train. The most common DPU system is locotrol, if you'd like to research it for more information. But short run down is they use radio waves to transmit commands from the headend to the mid or rear of train helpers. Early radio equipment was big and bulky requiring the hood space. Now a DPU setup is much much smaller and can be installed in existing free space in the locomotive, hence the snoot isn't built anymore.
As far as I know, DPU isn't used in New England. I believe Conrail or CSX shortly after the Conrail merger tried DPU on the B&A but the relatively short distances in New England make DPU not worth the added time it takes to set up. DPU is used on longer hauls, which is why all the snoot nosed SD40-2's are of western railroad descent.

[JayBee]

Long-nose "Snoots" were originally built for UP, KCS, and AT&SF with 116"(early) or 123"(later) noses, Canadian Pacific received a batch of short "Snoots" with 108" noses. Standard SD40-2s have 82" (early) or 88"(later) noses. With second-hand sales the Snoots are more spread around now. As mentioned the Snoots were designed to house the electronics for early Locotrol remote control equipment, the forerunner of the modern Distributed Power Units(DPU). Some early standard nose SD40-2s were equipped with Locotrol but it made them very cramped for cab space. This is also the reason for the early "Robot cars" separate units to hold the Locotrol equipment.

[JBConn]

Can anyone tell me whether 606 has a 116" or 123" snoot?

Thanks

[JBConn]

I would appreciate it if those of you more knowledgeable than I took a look at this and see if it makes sense:

I infer from this photograph http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=198128 that MEC 606 has a 116" snoot nose. This is based on the apparent location of the brake wheel about half a diameter aft of the forward railing stanchion, and the edge of the shield on the battery box step falling about the middle of the door(hatch?) just behind the brake wheel.

This is based on comparison with line drawings on Trainiax.net

identified as a 116" snoot: http://trainiax.net/drawings/emd/emdsd4 ... -db-sn.gif

identified as a 123" snoot: http://trainiax.net/drawings/emd/emdsd4 ... b-sn-m.gif

This conflicts with other information I have seen, but I'm assuming that someone that devotes the time making all these really nice line drawings should know what he's talking about.

Thanks

[KSmitty]

Looking at the line drawings, I concur with your assessment that it is a 116" snoot nose.