Re: (erielack) RS-2/RS-3

[Hhaines_@_aol.com]

Dear Bill and List:

We cannot change history, and should not judge what was done as being "bad" 
for the time.  Not many people were concerned about diesel fuel fumes in the 
cab when the early diesels like ALCO RS and S series diesel locomotives were 
being produced.  As a matter of fact, diesel fumes in Germany were connected 
with good things because it was diesel equipment that rebuilt Germany--take 
away the odor, and the old folks are not happy. 

The exhaust and soot of the time was also bad, but it took government 
agencies until the mid-1980s to study the long-term effects of locomotive 
diesel soot on railroad crews.  It is a good-sized report, but shows the main 
safety concern through the early 1960s was that the vapors did not collect 
and explode.  Now, of course, California found that the diesel exhaust 
contains many toxic air contaminants, and wants to eliminate it in their most 
congested areas--even with their "clean" diesel.  Now, the cleaner and hotter 
the engine, the more oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are produced.  So we eliminate 
the soot and produce ground ozone precursors.  

But that's another story.  I can provide more detail, if desired.  

In summary, the railroads and regulators of the day were not concerned with 
diesel fumes in the locomotive cabs as a health risk back when these 
locomotives were made.  They had bigger things to worry about, including the 
other crazy regulations they had to operate with.

H Haines
ELHS 1447
 

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