Union Pacifc Donner Pass Locomotive

[TRAINNUT]

Can anybody help explain what these antenna looking things are on top of this locomotive

I'd like to believe that these are for electrified territory of some sort but I don't know.
Any help Is good help.

 

[Marlin39]

Busting Icicles??

 

[santafewillie]

I believe that they are ice-breakers.

 

[TRAINNUT]

Busting Icicles??

I believe that they are ice-breakers.

That makes perfect sense. The windows being covered protects them from shattering.

 

[TRAINNUT]

Forgot about photo Credit http://www.ssloan.net/trains/up/0001.html
Came from this site

 

[Guilford Railman]

This is really interesting! I didn’t know locomotives had equipment on them to break ice.

Very cool!

 

[AuburnCentral]

I guessing it’s some special maintenance/testing equipment train

 

[AuburnCentral]

Meant to say inspection

 

[kjd]

The windows aren’t covered, they are windows adapted from ships. The center spins quite quickly and throws off snow and ice so the crew can see when in blizzards or working behind a rotary.

The thing on the top is indeed for icicles inside the tunnels. There have been instances when the ice got so bad they resorted to explosives.

For more info, look up Jim Mahon and snow fighting on Donner Pass in California. Season snow totals there can exceed 1,000 inches.

 

[RhB Michael]

You see a lot of those circular windows on Swiss and Austrian locomotives in the Alps. Mostly on shunting locos rather than main-line equipment, but especially on MOW vehicles and plows.

 

[BN-6811]

These are fantastic videos if you want to see more of Donner Pass.

 

[TRAINNUT]

These are fantastic videos if you want to see more of Donner Pass.

Will be watching these

 

[Iron Horseman]

This is really interesting! I didn’t know locomotives had equipment on them to break ice.

Some passenger dome cars also had ice breakers to protect the glass.

 

[Guilford Railman]

Some passenger dome cars also had ice breakers to protect the glass.

That’s really neat!

 

[Rico]

That would be similar to the Boeing flatcars I’d guess

 

[Marlin39]

I remember riding the train from San Jose to Reno, in the middle of Winter. I know the snow tunnels were clear of icicles because I was in the dome car. I don't/can't remember seeing anything that resembled ice breakers.

 

[RhB Michael]

There is also ice and snow protection across the windscreen if you look closely.