| Burlington Northern Railroad GP7 1586 at Clyde, Illinois on an unknown day in September 1979, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. This was the Vapor (brand name) standby heater enclosure applied to most CB&Q GP7's and GP9's, in this case, ex-CB&Q GP7 230. Inside was a diesel fueled water heater. The exhaust stack, removed by this date, and was positioned against the car body to the roof line. An electrical receptacle is to the right of the lower latch. The idea was to be able to shut down the diesel prime mover in cold weather and use the heater to heat and circulate the cooling water to prevent freezing. Two problems surfaced from this idea; starting the prime mover was difficult with cold batteries, and the locomotive needed to be spotted near an electical outlet. |