Steam & Excursion > Smoke Wings, Smoke Lifters - Elephant Ears on the Big Boy

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Question: What is the purpose of the Elephant Ears, Wind or Smoke Wings/Lifters?

My detailed answer:

UP designed wind or smoke wings, elephant ears etc were not designed to “lift smoke” per se. The concept is quite simple, they create a visual path between the plate and the smoke box that is clear(er) as the locomotive is drifting, often with unfavorable crosswinds on the vast openess of Wyoming and Nebraska. I have experienced this numerous times over the years, particularly in cooler weather while drifting downgrade with the lower exhaust pressures in a drifting throttle scenario. While in a drift, the exhaust is inadequate to carry the smoke and steam vapor upward and it therefore will continuously wrap around downward swirling around quite effectively obscuring the view of the engine crew.

As many people have likely observed over the past several years of operating the 4014, the smoke is carried high with sufficient exhaust pressure to carry the smoke upward - another handy use for that MU’d dynamic brake as I’ve mentioned over the years, hold the train back and permit higher drifting throttle operation to give the fireman more exhaust to work with for both the TP503 exhaust steam injector, and on the UP 844, the wonderful Worthington SA - 5. Both of these feedwater devices utilize exhaust steam and the higher exhaust pressures result in improved operation while drifting.

As with everything that was designed and installed on the major classes of UP Steam, they were based on trial and testing, and they were there because they served an important function.

Additionally, these devices were typically applied to locomotives assigned to passenger service, while the Big Boys did pull such trains on several occasions over the years, they were simply too much power and too big (just like today, only use what is necessary to pull max tonnage) for such service and were considered to be wasteful, and therfore utilized where they could earn their keep pulling full freight tonnage.

Thanks for reading.

Ed

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/25 21:16 by EdDickens.

Ed,
Thank you for the explanation.  I have often wondered what the purpose of the elephant ears was.  Lifting the smoke sort of made sense, but it seemed  more like they created a wind tunnel for some reason.

They do create a wind tunnel, grabbing air
that's being pushed aside by the smokebox
and sending it down the side of the boiler.
With no wings, low-pressure areas develop
alongside the boiler, pulling smoke down --
the wings funnel air into that area.

That's why the wings extend ahead of the
smokebox, to catch the pushed-aside air.
 

timz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They do create a wind tunnel, grabbing air
> that's being pushed aside by the smokebox
> and sending it down the side of the boiler.
> With no wings, low-pressure areas develop
> alongside the boiler, pulling smoke down --
> the wings funnel air into that area.
>
> That's why the wings extend ahead of the
> smokebox, to catch the pushed-aside air.


Note that ALL "wind Wings" on the UP, and "smoke lifters on other railroads, even in Europe, are curved inwards at the top. That inward curvature produces a pronounces "up-draft" at high speeds, i.e. over 70 MPH, thus causing the exhaust gasses/smoke to rise above the locomotive and trailing passenger train. I've watched that effect on both 844 and 4449 at higher speeds.