wagoneer Wrote:
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> This month's OSH train calendar illustration shows
> a lashup of 4 Southern Rwy E-8's pulling the
> Southern Crescent. What are all those tanks on
> the roof? Air? Are they a Southern shop
> retrofit, or what, and why? Thanks for any info!
It was a shop modification by the Southern to increase the boiler water capacity from 1350 gals. (the normal boiler water capacity in an E8 with dynamic braking) to either 1800 or 1950 gals., depending on the modification.
As built, an E8 has two air ressevoirs mounted fore and aft of the fuel tank. They are identified as "29" on this plate in an E8 operating manual on the rr-fallenflags.org web site: [
www.rr-fallenflags.org]. Southern replaced the two air reservoirs with water tanks, and applied four air reservoirs to the roof of the carbody. You can compare the drawing on the plate to this photo of the 6900 on the railpictures.net web site: [
www.railpictures.net].
A number of Southern's F3A's and F7A's assigned to passenger service were similarly modified.