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Acomfort cab is a design found on most modernNorth Americandiesel locomotives, and some export models. The broad nose occupies the entire width of the locomotive, and typically has an access door on the front of the nose.[1]
The design may also be called aCanadian comfort cab, aNorth American safety cab,wide-nose,[2][better source needed] or awide cab (although the termwide cab is somewhat of a misnomer because it is the nose, not the cab, that is widened).
The basic shape of the comfort cab design first appeared on ahood unit, theEMD DDA40X, in 1969. It was the same design as theF45 andFP45cowl units being built by EMD at the time. The cab used on the DDA40X was not a true "Safety cab" because it consisted mainly of restyled sheet metal and lacked the structural reinforcements of the Canadian design.[3]
The first true "Safety cabs" were designed and built for theCanadian National Railway by input from railway employees. The locomotives wereGP38-2s,GP40-2s and GP40-2Ls, andSD40-2s. To denote the comfort cab locomotives, a "W" was often applied at the end of the model name (i.e. GP38-2W, GP40-2W, SD40-2W), although this was not an official designation. TheMontreal Locomotive Works also offered a competitive cab design on theirM-420 andM-630(W) models. EMD began offering the comfort cab as a standard option instead of a custom build option in 1988.
The comfort cab design has a number of features to improve crew safety and comfort.
The modern comfort cab design is usually built with a specially reinforced nose. Instead of sheet metal,3⁄8-inch-thick (9.5 mm) steel is employed with additional reinforcement behind the armor. As a moving locomotive frequently cannot stop in time to prevent collisions, these enhancements protect the crew in collisions with objects smaller than the train itself, such as downed trees or stopped automobiles. In addition, the windows of the cab meetFederal Railroad Administration Regulations Part 223,[4]which states that windows must withstand the impact of a.22 caliber bullet or acinder block at 55 mph (89 km/h).
The comfort cab design provides more space for the crew. It has significantly more open space than standard cabs, allowing crew members space to move about. In later years, the cab doors had improved weatherstripping and electrically heated windows installed. Many newEMD locomotives include the feature of the "Whisper Cab", a cab that is acoustically isolated from the rest of thelocomotive.[5]