Widecabs

siderod

Member
Howdy,

On another forum, we're trying to figure out what wide-cab-equipped locomotive is closest to an Austrailian-Prototype. And, the topic of the first widecab locomotive came into the dicussion.

I knew Canada developed the Canadian Saftey Cab...but i was also under the impression, and the railroad papers i have back this up, that Canada was the first country to use widecab locomotives.

However, another member said that UP was the first, with their 6900-series Centennial locomotives. I'd like to know what the first Canadian locomotive to have a widecab/saftey cab installed was, what year it was, and what type of locomotive it was.

Thanks all,
AR
 

b28_82

Member
I suppose technically UP was the first to have the wide cab locomotives but I don't believe they were safety cabs. That was done on the DD40X's and it was the early 1960s from what i remember off the top of my head.

As far as Canadian locos. They had their own version of a safety cab which had 4 windows in the front and they were using that cab up into the C44-9Ws Then they started going along with the American widecabs. Theirs, I know for sure, was intended to be used as Safety Cabs. I think the earliest model that the Canadians put widecabs on their locos was the SD-40s. Maybe some of our Canadian friends can add/correct some information.
 

siderod

Member
Thanks for that, B28....the member of the other forum had mentioned the DD40X, but i wasn't sure if it came first or not. FYI, it was 1969...i've heard thats why the locomotives were in the 6900 series.

As far as i know, the first saftey cabs were the GP40W's that are now serving on guilford. I've heard some ALCo/MLW units had widecabs, but i am unsure as to whether they were widecabs as we know them today, or saftey cabs.
 

cpr_paul

Member
siderod said:
i am unsure as to whether they were widecabs as we know them today, or saftey cabs.

safety cab=modern widecab for all intents and purposes, just that the early Canadian safety cabs had a different look as pointed out above. TRAINS magazine had an article a few years back on the evolution of the widecab...that may answer your question regarding the first locos to be built with the safety cab - CN was definitely the first road to adopt them. GP or SD 40 is a good guess, there were some MLW units from the same era to have them too (M420?)
 

Pete

Member
I recall seeing a picture of a CN loco with a banner draped across the rear radiator grille area, touting it as the first locomotive with the new 'safety cab' design - I believe it was in MR along with the prototype drawings for the model. I can't recall offhand which one it was - I *think* it was the GP38-2.
 

sumpter250

multiscale modelbuilder
OK, you said "wide cab locomotive", not wide cab diesel. Sooooo. Wouldn't an SP cab forward qualify as the first "wide cab" locomotive? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :D
 

Pete

Member
I just had to go looking...
cnsafcab.jpg

From the Feb 1980 MR.
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Canadian Trackside Guide lists CN as having the following:
MLW M420(W) blt 1973-1976 #2500-2579
GP38-2(W) blt 1973-1974 #5560-5610
SD40-2 (W) blt 1975-1980 #5241-5363
GP40-2L(W) blt 1974-1975 #9400-9677
This is all the units listed as (W); I suspect that it became standard after that point.
 
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