Detailed KATO F units-ATSF WIP

arbomambo Oct 23, 2011

  1. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    It appears from doing a little research that there were multiple types of MU systems. The little doors beside the headlights typically housed a 16, 17 or 27 point electrical connector. The 27 was the most common with EMD. The group of four or more hoses beside the coupler on either side were for air to control the independent locomotive brakes, equalize the main reservoirs in each locomive and separate hoses for the different sanders. Some railroads used fewer or more air hoses. I am thinking the early cab units were unable to electrically MU at the cab end and only at the B end.
     
  2. arbomambo

    arbomambo TrainBoard Member

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    good info...
    but none of these pics depict an ATSF F unit in the 1957 era...
    Russell, your last two photos...the one showing the F7A pilot is the closest...take of the mu attachment points (4 on each side), then the pilot looks 1957...the oval and circular cutout, on the engineers' side, and one oval cutout, on the fireman's side...
    now you guys have made me REAL curious as to just exactly what functions the four hoses serve on the 1957-era ATSF F7 and Alco PA pilots!!!!
    ~Bruce
     
  3. wcfn100

    wcfn100 TrainBoard Member

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    Right, which is why you don't see F units running 'elephant' style until after these hatches were introduced.

    Jason
     
  4. arbomambo

    arbomambo TrainBoard Member

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    A-HA!!!!!!!!!!!
    there are no pics of diesels in my modelled era running elephant style!...any units running between consists that have cab or A units on either end are booster units!...
    but this still leaves me wondering as to just what, exactly, are the four hoses that are found on the pilots of the F and PA units??!!
    ~Bruce
     
  5. wcfn100

    wcfn100 TrainBoard Member

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    I think Russell covered most of it. But it shouldn't be too hard to find out since all locomotives had them. Modern locos look the have three on each side, but here's a CBQ GP30 that has 4.

    [​IMG]

    Also notice, the MU is not on the pilot but above it.

    Jason
     
  6. arbomambo

    arbomambo TrainBoard Member

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    lol...
    until I post pics this evening of what I'm referring to, it's difficult to illustrate ...the diesels in question, the ATSF F and PA units, from 1940-something til about 1959-60, didn't have the 3-4 hoses that one sees on the F unit pics posted by Russell above, or like what is seen these days on both pilot ends...
    what they did have, are 4 hoses, two on each side of the coupler, one, apparently bigger than the other-on each side..... like the ones I've modelled on the pilots of the Kato F units throughout this thread, and the pilots of the Kato PAs, as illustrated by the no. 66 unit recently posted...
    air hose to be sure, but what could the other three hoses be?
    ~Bruce
     
  7. arbomambo

    arbomambo TrainBoard Member

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    the top three pics here illustrate units appearance during my modelled era...
    the last pic has the shopped mods, e.g. the 4 attachment points on either side for mu hoses,
    Bruce
     
  8. wcfn100

    wcfn100 TrainBoard Member

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    I think I know what you're referring to, but those aren't MU connections. They are air connections.

    Here's a good shot where you can see the MU coming down from the nose and all four air connections hooked up.

    [​IMG]

    Any other connection could be signal or steam which is what I'd guess the biggest one is.

    Jason
     
  9. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    At least one of them is for sure the main brake line hose. One of the others is probably some sort of air signal line that would go back to the passenger cars when the cab is facing them. Perhaps Santa Fe had some other use for air in the passenger cars where they did not want to pull the main brake pipe pressure down when they would use it.
     
  10. Westfalen

    Westfalen TrainBoard Member

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    There are two types of M.U. connections on diesel locomotives, the electrical connection (the one beside the headlight on the F units) and the four air hoses (duplicated on each side of the coupler) for control of the independant brakes (main resevoir, actuating and application/release) and sand on the trailing units.

    The high level electrical connection on the F units, it was at the top of the door at the rear, was the reason the it was located on the hand rails of Santa Fe GP7s and 9s to enable them to MU with F units.
     
  11. arbomambo

    arbomambo TrainBoard Member

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    more progress...

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    Thanks for looking,
    ~Bruce
     

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