Steam & Excursion > Remember, For Many Crews This Was Their Office Every Day!

All it takes is a few days in the hot cab of a steam locomotive for those of us who still run these beasts for us to long for the daily comfort of our air-conditioned offices of our day job. However, we must remember, back in the days of steam power what we see here was the day-in-day-out office for the crews of these locomotives.

As we look back at September 1952 when this photo of Union Pacific #3832 was taken in Huntington, Oregon we see where the steam crews spent their 12+hour shifts. Just think about those long hot days of summer and cold winter days they endured year in and year out.

Sure, there was pleasure for most in the operation of a huge Challenger type monster as we see here in the form or #3832. However, this was still your daily office and rain or shine, heat or cold you were in there 12+ hours a day, day-in-day-out.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/17 04:55 by LoggerHogger.

---

Maybe, back then, they were
"16-Hr." shifts ????

W.

Posted from iPhone

I was riding a MP passenger train to Kansas City and had a talk with a couple of retired KCS steam engineers on the train. One of them said he drank enough water to float a boat during the summer months firing. They didn't have Gatorade back then. That stuff is great when the heat is like a pizza oven in the cab. Hydrate, wear cotton long sleeve shirts and sweat.

Tell me where to sign up!

John.

Never recall seeing a cab roof "vent" as large
as this one. Was it typical for UP ?

Hours of service were 16 until the 1970s when they were reduced to 12 hours after a two year 14 hour fase in.

NKP715 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Never recall seeing a cab roof "vent" as large
> as this one. Was it typical for UP ?

I know the roof vent was nowhere near that large on 3985. Looks almost like part of the roof has been cut-out.

Martin,

Back then, 12 hours was an early quit. :):)


Nudge

13 hrs 40 monutes = "Double day" That seemed to be everyones goal.

-Larry Doyle

NKP715 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Never recall seeing a cab roof "vent" as large
> as this one. Was it typical for UP ?

Optional sunroof? But seriously, just did a quick google search, some images of 3800 class challengers you can see the same big area on top of cab either open, or covered, with some obvious thick material covering that opening. Didnt see that on pics of the other 3700 or 3900 class, some appear to have a big square raised area for something?

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/17 12:32 by Boomer92.

NKP715 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Never recall seeing a cab roof "vent" as large
> as this one. Was it typical for UP ?


I noticed the same thing when I looked at the photo. That thing looks like it has T-tops.

NKP715 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Never recall seeing a cab roof "vent" as large
> as this one. Was it typical for UP ?

It's the prototype for what us live steamers use...

raytc1944 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hours of service were 16 until the 1970s when they were
> reduced to 12 hours after a two year 14 hour fase in.


The dates were 12/26/70 and 12/26/72. There was a thread about that 9½ years ago at https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1601693,1602050#msg-1602050 wherein I posted a trainorder for the 1972 change. Prior to 1907 there was no HOS limit. An interesting read regarding HOS experiences in those days can be found in John W. Orr's book "Set Up Running: The Life of a Pennsylvania Railroad Engineman".