Hi folks, I had to try out the new system of Fallen Flags and it is quite easy to post, just select Prefix NYC. On another forum, someone asked why the New York Central Hudsons did not have smoke deflectors, or "elephant ears." Other than the obvious loss of aesthetic value, does anyone have any theories on why they did not? Both Niagaras and Mohawks had them. J-3 5446 from the Harold K. Vollrath collection, Chicago 1947, my copy.
Jim, sorry I didn't answer sooner, I missed your post with this new format. To answer your question, I have no idea why the J's didn't have ears. It's possible their smokebox and pilot shapes were such that the smoke flow rose above the cab at speed. Also, I don't think any K Class had ears either. Of course, at the tender age of 15-17, I doubt if I was all that interested in standing alongside the 5 mile Harlem Div. tangent between Bedford Hills and Mt Kisco studying smoke flow of the J's and K's at 70 mph.....:wink:
Haha, good one, Hank. I kind of thought that the speed that the J's ran might have something to do with it, but then the S's ran just as fast. And they had deflectors because? Maybe the lack of any high stack? :question:
The S's smoke box front was flatter and further forward, and they had a shorter pilot than the J's and K's. On the other hand, didn't the ears get removed from some, if not all the S's after a year or so? Please understand that I'm grasping at straws here. As Lucy Van Pelt (of Peanuts fame) continuously said..."If you're going to be wrong, be wrong at the top of your voice!"
Here's some info I dug up on the 'net that may help to identify some reasons: Wikipedia: Smoke Deflector I also remember reading that the Hudsons in passenger service had them. To be honest, I personally have zero idea, but if I was 15 and had the chance to watch steam trains fly by at 70mph, I never would have gone to school.:teeth:
Some Hudsons did operate with smoke deflectors, but I'm not sure which railroads, maybe Milwaukee and there were others. New York Central Hudsons did not. :happy:
Interesting speculation. Perhaps something as simple as the management didn't believe they'd gain enough from the addition to offset increased weight/drag? The only analogy I can point to is the MoPac and dynamic brakes - the ruling grades made them unnecessary until MP began running coal drags with other road's power. But life's seldom that simple...
Jim, appreciate the bump. I checked Louis Grogan's book, The Coming Of The New York & Harlem Railroad, and didn't see any photos of eared engines assigned to the Harlem. Obviously didn't need ears for ~30 mile commuter runs between North White Plains and Brewster, or the few daily 100 mile runs to Chatham. There may have been some eared run throughs in 1943 when a 16" naval gun barrel went cross-ways and blocked the Cold Spring tunnels for a day or so. Though I doubt if any photos exist of the Harlem traffic due to being wartime, definitely not from the tunnel area because that would show the gun barrel. I remember that Mother and I were excited as we watched Hudson Division trains come through Bedford Hills. All I remember was that the power was much bigger than our usual Ks. The six B&A J-2s didn't get assigned to the Harlem until after the War. To maintain power balance, I guess the Hudson Division's power dead-headed ~30 miles between North White Plains and Harmon through Mott Haven Yard and Spuyten Duyvil, otherwise they would have to run north through Chatham and Albany and down to Harmon, >200 miles.
