| Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad EMD NW2 9214 at Cicero, Illinois on April 20, 1965, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. Built in May 1941 (c/n 1295) it was one of 17 NW2's (9203-9219) delivered to the CB&Q before the War Production Board forced EMD to suspend production of switchers and concentrate on road locomotives (Model FT). It became BN 511 and was retired July 1982. On the running board ahead of the cab is a sheet metal housing with a vent at the bottom. This covered a Vapor Standby Heater, the purpose of which was to allow the prime mover to be shut down in cold weather. The heater would heat and circulate the cooling water in the diesel engine block, preventing freezing. It was seldom used due to the difficulty in restarting the diesel with cold batteries. The exhaust stacks are straight, not the usual EMD taper. The pre-war NW2's were delivered with short stacks, rising just a few inches above the hood. The CB&Q (and most other railroads with pre-war NW2's) added homemade stack extensions. |