Thanks to others comments and source references on the list, I have done a
little more research on how the Q G-Es functioned as originally built. As I
stated earlier, the front shutter assembly between the front windows covered a
large relatively thin radiator mounted vertically. As noted by other listers,
there indeed was a fan or fans located inside the cab area left of the
engineer. In consulting Corbin's and Hardy's book "Burlington in Transition"
there are a number of good photos and several drawings. The drawing on page 134
is particularly informative as is the photo at the bottom left on page 135.
The fan motor, which is listed on the drawing as a model W-Y-17-A2, appears to
have been mounted in a chase behind the radiator assembly. The fan motor may
have driven more than one fan blade assembly. The chase ducted the air upward
to the roof and the roof like shaped structure that curves toward the rear and
is located behind the headlight. The sides of this roof duct clearly has vents
at the sides as seen in the bottom photo on p. 135. It may have also had a vent
at the rear toward the three exhaust stacks, but I have seen no photo
confirmation of that. It does, however, seem that the system would need more
venting area than the side grills, considering the size of the radiator. The
drawing indicates that car no. 9844 carried 200 gallons of gasoline and 125
gallons of water. The fuel tank would be underneath the car, but the water tank
could have been either underneath or somewhere in the cab area. Because of
limited space, suspended from the cab ceiling would make the most sense. Based
on my diesel experience, the water tank needs to be somewhere in the vicinity
of the rest of the cooling system. The water in the water tank probably was
circulated through the cooling system continually. I suspect that the engine
cooling system on the G-Es was very similar to the automobiles and trucks of
the 1920s.
There was no other water used on the cars. Drinking water was probably a can.
The toilet was a straight hole downward to the track (I remember those on older
passenger and commuter cars!), and the heating system was a vapor coal stove
which may have had a closed water (steam?) circulation system through the
passenger and/or baggage compartment. (Anybody know for sure how the cars were
heated). The Vapor heaters were mounted in the baggage compartment and all the
drawings show a coal bin located next to the heater. They probably were tended
by the baggage man or a trainman. (What was the normal crew on a G-E?) Early
photos, prior to 1941, do not show the tall vertical pipe to the right of the
headlight. However, my photos, those on Jan Kohl's Castle Graphics website and
the photo of car no. 9038 on p. 118 of the Corbin/Hardy book, taken in 1948, do
show the pipe. It appears to be a cooling system vent pipe that was added or
extended for some reason. It also appears that the Q added a vertical bracket
for mounting the air horns above the engineer. Originally, they were mounted at
roof level, then later on the bracket.
If anyone has or knows of an overhead photo of the front of one of the G-Es
before conversion to diesel, it could help identify the fittings on top of the
cars and their functions.
Bill Barber
Gravois Mills, MO
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