Historical Diesels and their noses!

[Class73Electro]

Hopefully right spot for this.

Why did a lot of the earlier diesel locomotives have their distinct "nose" design (ie 37s, 55s etc)? What was normally contained in them?

Thanks!

 

[Ash Bridge]

I think they were just following an already established US practice? In the English Electric classes you mention the nose ends would probably house equipment such as the traction motor blowers, compressors etc. and even in the case of the class 55 a toilet (urinal) and wash basin.

Edit: just found an old thread.

What is located in the nose of a class 37

Forgive me for asking as I've never been in a class 37 or similar locos but what is in the nose section as I've seen a door leading to from the cab into the nose. Also why do some class 37s have access doors at the front above the buffers?

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Harpo]

I’m sure I’ve seen a suggestion that noses were originally thought to be better in making drivers look forward while reducing supposed tiring effects of sleeper ends passing by. All sorts of electrical auxiliaries were placed inside noses plus early communicating doors between loco pairs which were seldom used.

 

[Harlequinuk]

I think the design as American inspired, with (as Ash Bridge said) the nose having equipment in, and the inspiration came from requirements and where the designers looked, based on equipment; IIRC the LMS1000 bogies were American as well. However the DS16/2, was defiantly a Bulleid design! . The same can be said about the Western region Hydraulics being German inspired based upon drive train.

 

[sprinterguy]

The Deltic styling was intended to ape North American designs with a view to export orders. The noses typically and usefully contained the traction motor blowers and air reservoirs and, on the earlier batches amongst classes 37, 40, 44 and 45, also the folding gangway connectors.

Bonnet-fronted cabs were stipulated by Chief Mechanical Engineer R.C. Bond for the higher-powered Modernisation Plan diesel electrics built in BR workshops (and also perpetuated on English Electric designs), as it was felt that they provided an additional level of protection for Drivers in the case of a collision at the higher speeds they might be expected to operate at. This clearly became less of a consideration subsequently, and the Design Panel submitted a flat fronted design to EE for the final batches of class 37 built in 1964, which would have probably looked akin to a smaller class 47 or 50, but English Electric had no interest in altering their design.