I saw a picture once of 844 right after she rolled out of Alco's factory, and she didn't have her ears on yet. I didn't recognize her without them. 😂
@FabianHunor3 ай бұрын
The situation was somewhat similar with me, but with a different class and different country. The most recognizable steam locomotive in my homeland is the MÁV 424 class, and they had smoke deflectors, but the early examples weren't equipped with them. So when I first saw the preserved 424-009, I almost didn't realize it was a 424 class.
@jr_estudio3 ай бұрын
@A_Lazy_dude who cares, its a train
@RailfanEngineer3 ай бұрын
yea, 844 and the rest of her class, aka the FEF, were basically just standard unstreamlined 4-8-4, and FEF literally just stands for 'four eight four'
@JosipRadnik13 ай бұрын
The pronounciation of "Windleitbleche" alone was worth watching 😁
@mightyV4443 ай бұрын
It was correct, too! 😊
@JosipRadnik13 ай бұрын
@@mightyV444well... almost... but astonishingly good indeed 🙂
@mightyV4443 ай бұрын
@@JosipRadnik1 - I'm originally German but have been living in NZ for 22 years; My 18-year-old Son (the _real_ rail enthusiast in the family) only speaks English, and he had heard "Windleitblech" together with some other German rail-related terms somewhere recently, and he's now become kinda obsessed with it and keeps throwing "Windleitblech!" at me all the time! 🙈😅
@adalbertbuchaniec11993 ай бұрын
Fun fact: The Flying Scotsman originally did not have smoke deflectors until it received a double chimney. When Alan Pegler bought him from British Railways, he returned the locomotive to LNER condition with the single chimney and the deflectors were not needed. When she regained the double chimney, the deflectors were then added again due to the lightened draft.
@Tom-Lahaye3 ай бұрын
Also when locomotives grew in size with larger diameter boilers the chimney or stack whatever you call it went shorter. This also increased the likeliness of smoke descending down on the train rather than being lifted. In Germany essentially all large standard Reichsbahn locomotives had them, like the classes 44,50 and 52 2-10-0s, 41 2-8-2 and 01 and 03 4-6-2s. But also some earlier classes from the Landerbahnen of Prussia, Württemberg and Bavaria got them later on. In the UK they were used on some types of the LNER and LMS Pacifics, the larger SR 4-6-0 classes and the BR standard Clan and Britannia Pacifics and the 9F. Here in the Netherlands only 3 locomotive classes got them, the 3900 and 4000 4-6-0s and 6300 4-8-4T
@DiscordC3 ай бұрын
no it’s called a FUNNEL, the correct term is Funnel, Not chimney, Not Smoke stack, it’s called the Funnel
@DiscordC3 ай бұрын
it’s called a FUNNEL
@TryboBike3 ай бұрын
To add why deflectors were necessary - apart what Darkness said - more powerful locomotives also produced more smoke and exhaust as - well - moar powah, moar steam, moar fuel burned.
@bowlinerailfan3 ай бұрын
Some of the Union Pacific Challengers had deflectors as well. Their first official steam excursion was back in the 50's with one of these, the since scrapped 3967. For the 40th anniversary of that trip, 3985 was renumbered to 3967 and fitted with deflectors to represent her fallen sister for the run.
@UnionPacificRailfan20183 ай бұрын
Don’t forget big boys as well because 4019 has one
@moosecat3 ай бұрын
Darkness showed quite a few British Railways trains. i think he has a secret crush on them...
@up844productions83 ай бұрын
it might be because BR steam actually worked so it's not his ongoing torture with the diesels :)
@alexhajnal1073 ай бұрын
Much pulling of pigtails!
@rwill1563 ай бұрын
This was a nice find for me. I've wondered what those were, and their purpose. Not knowing what they were called I looked on line for them, found many locomotive diagrams showing them but never with a label identifying them. So now thanks to you I know what they are.
@LazyOcto3 ай бұрын
In Poland we do have a locomotive with smoke deflectors, like Pt-46, or the Pm-36.
@thejdmguru6213 ай бұрын
My country had an attraction for Smoke Deflectors, it’s was used on basically all our big choo-choos. Heck, even one of our narrow gauge locos had them. Just look at the Apple Express.
@fenrirslip3 ай бұрын
I for one believe that smoke deflectors make a steam locomotive look more beautiful and grandiose in addition to them doing what they were meant to do. This isn't surprising considering that UP's FEF Series and New York Central's Niagaras are two of my favorite steam locomotives ever and they also have smoke deflectors. Some engines would look naked if they didn't have them. xD
@mikebrown37723 ай бұрын
The problem for the crew if smoke clings to the boiler isn't breathing it in but seeing the signals.
@CaseyJonesNumber13 ай бұрын
Yes, that is the principal reason.
@nathanlynn73743 ай бұрын
Great video! Although I believe one important detail that i think you forgot is that both the 3900 class and even Big Boy had elephant ear deflectors 4019 was the only documented/photographed big boy to ever be seen with those deflectors as UP made their own design for the Big Boys with the stack deflectors it really shows the innovation of UP and the evolution of smoke detectors on locomotives
@Gordanovich023 ай бұрын
Reputedly, smoke deflectors had even been considered on the LNER A4 class (Mallard and her siblings). Instead they tried altering the body right behind the blastpipe, inspired by a thumbprint inadvertently made in a plasticine model, and found that it worked to lift the smoke clear of the cab!
@joshmeister44493 ай бұрын
Id love to see Ed stick a pair on 4014 for a trip. 4019 tested a set much like that the passenger challengers wore, so it would be accurate to say the least.
@MrSEANDEERE3 ай бұрын
I'm a sucker for elephant ears. I will pay the extra for a model with them if needed. I love the look. Especially on 4-6-4 Hudsons, FEFs and Niagras.
@genoobtlp44243 ай бұрын
Fun fact, the original wort: Windleitblech pretty much says what they do („Wind guiding sheet metal“) it’s a metal sheet to guide the airflow…
@theo1113miller3 ай бұрын
Thanks for answering a question I had been wondering about them for years
@TheEerieMaster3 ай бұрын
I think they actually complete the look of some engines... A BR 9F without smoke deflectors doesn't look right
@andrewbowen45443 ай бұрын
I don't think they work in Tunnels has seen in Top Gear UK
@Straswa3 ай бұрын
Great video Darkness, a fascinating watch. Love that fooonnnnnd farewell.
@jacehackworth64133 ай бұрын
2 of the QJ’s in the US still have their smoke deflectors.
@robertwilloughby80503 ай бұрын
Also, dear Darkness, it stops smoke hanging about the front end and obscuring the signals. That was a really bad problem on railways in the UK.
@donglegromger65713 ай бұрын
As a kid, I had always referred to them as Mohawks. Personally, I had always been quite fond of them. Particularly, the larger Wagner types. Even when I was hunting down a model of a German class 01, I specifically was looking for one with the Wagner deflectors.
@FreihEitner2 ай бұрын
I like 844's "elephant ears". I also liked when 844 was 8444 and was painted gray, so take that as you will. :-)
@ericcriteser40013 ай бұрын
This was awesome. Thanks for sharing!
@TheGs4_44493 ай бұрын
"...some people found them ugly." How? They look so cool!
@kwisatz_haderach14453 ай бұрын
Do love those early, large wheeled engines. They just have that late 19th century look about them.
@allenhall46893 ай бұрын
I live in south Australia and the 620 class would look strange with out them.... Steam Ranger hertige still runs 621.
@legothoron13 ай бұрын
did wonder about them, an engine i grew up with used to have them, CP 3100, i saw in old photos that she used to have them but no longer does and she looks odd with them after so many years of her not having them
@chrisfrank64493 ай бұрын
Most of the locos on Victorian Railways (Australia) in the latter days had them. I always thought they looked great!
@mightyV4443 ай бұрын
I reckon you pronounced 'Windleitblech' pretty well, and I am.German myself! 😊👍 It also describes the purpose more accurately than the English term by pointing to wind instead of smoke 🙂
@tidepoolclipper86573 ай бұрын
I like how the UP-844 and DRG Class 01 look with the smoke deflectors.
@kratzikatz13 ай бұрын
@@tidepoolclipper8657 wich ones on the 01? Wagner or Witte design?
@23GreyFox3 ай бұрын
@@kratzikatz1 You will find the 01 with both. In the video he only showed the 01 with the Wagner type.
@Mandem_Nj3 ай бұрын
at 2:16 I think that's lnwr cornwall a 2-2-2 tender engine built in 1847
@jordandorsett31063 ай бұрын
2:26, and there's Hardwicke for the Race to the north
@737Garrus3 ай бұрын
I call them TIE Fighter Wings.
@generalprincecodyhedgewolf29443 ай бұрын
Don’t forget the JNR D51 Steam Locomotives
@WhiteWolf-gx8ll3 ай бұрын
Most of JNR's later and faster locomotives in general, D51 , D52, D60, D61, C11, C51, C54, C55, C56, C57, C58, C59, C60, C61 and C62 classes were all fitted with smoke deflecters.
@manicmechanic4483 ай бұрын
I was actually wondering this, the other day.
@kevwebb26373 ай бұрын
NKP 172, and a Mohawk still have their smoke lifters. Union Pacific actually called theirs Smoke lifters not smoke deflectors as the smoke deflectors are in the stack which can be raised or lowered by the locomotive crew. Japan's Smoke Wings looks better than the British designs. The Hokkaido, and Nagano pattern smoke deflectors is very impressive.
@zaylion19873 ай бұрын
On Asia exactly in Indonesia, Japan, and china smoke deflectors are commonly used to their steam locomotive and I'm as an indonesian seeing a steam locomotive with smoke deflector like a common steam locomotive and seeing them without smoke deflector look weird. (Maybe because adding smoke deflector on an indo steam loco like a tradition) but whatever because every locomotive in each country is unique In my country there's still have a rack railway with working rack rail steam locomotive you can meet them on Ambarawa and sawahlunto
@marc_abby3 ай бұрын
POV : seeing UP 844 with Witte Windleitbleche or smokedeflectors 😂 I love the the big ones 😁
@josephburke72243 ай бұрын
I knew they were needed for short stacks. I always thought short stacks were for tunnel and bridge clearance. Thus the smoke problem with crew and passengers. It did not solve the tunnel problem. I cannot think of anything that could.
@jeremyjohnson4573 ай бұрын
Believe It or Not Southern Pacific GS class had something similar to that
@TrainMedia003 ай бұрын
This video came out on my birthday just now.
@JordysRailVideos3 ай бұрын
Happy birthday
@SoldierFox13933 ай бұрын
CN 6218 and 6200 have the smoke deflectors they are 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotives
@joshjones34083 ай бұрын
That's kinda like saying window blankets instead of keratins
@leightonolsson48463 ай бұрын
The 'German' style 'Elephant Ears' sort used on Gresley's A1/A3 Pacifics.... (ie The Flying Scotsman) are not the most elegant or stylish ones in my aesthetic opinion. The Peppercorn A1 (Tornado ) & A2 (Blue Peter) look helluva lot better. But it's not surprising ones built into the original design would look more comfortable to the eye than ones bolted on out of necessity when locomotives were rebuilt or their chimneys upgraded
@richiem863 ай бұрын
I agree with you on the A1s & A2s, there’s some locos that look a bit weird without them such as the LMS Coronations, the S.R. Schools class, and the BR 9Fs & Britannias (Sorry! For mentioning them Darkness)
@leightonolsson48463 ай бұрын
@@richiem86 Thanks for the reply. Locomotive/train videos are always fun to watch even if you know it all already. The ones that crack me up are Europeans complaining about faults on new budget trans continental/intercity rolling stock... Dear me I'd love to see their reaction to riding across the Pennines in a Pacer...
@23GreyFox3 ай бұрын
@@leightonolsson4846 Do you believe continental Europeans hadn't something similar to the Pacer for decades?
@leightonolsson48463 ай бұрын
@@23GreyFox No doubt, in many European countries on many routes. But not an important intercity route between two of the largest conurbations in the UK (in the 5th richest country in the world, I'm not comparing to the poorer parts of the EU (oh how you are missed) but France, Germany etc) into the late 2010s
@23GreyFox2 ай бұрын
@@leightonolsson4846 I know how it is to ride a Railbus for 100km in Germany. They were build in the early 60s and were used way into the 90s, i sat on a simple wood bank the entire time.
@AnLMSengine3 ай бұрын
The smoke deflectors in my opinion look so good on steam engine
@Dannyedelman42313 ай бұрын
3985, a challenger type 4-6-6-4 locomotive had smoke deflectors for one trip
@camf75223 ай бұрын
1:28 🇦🇺 I’ve always referred to them as ‘elephant ears’ too. But I thought they were for aerodynamic stability as trains got faster??
@voidjavelin23Ай бұрын
eh not really, but they do theyre job on highspeed operation
@alexhajnal1073 ай бұрын
Your German pronunciation is improving! Do the _W_ letters as V, the _V_ letters as F, and let the syllables flow together and you'll be pretty darned close.
@TheMrPeteChannel3 ай бұрын
Wasn't there another device that was on the side of the chimney/stack on some locomotives?
@foxgaming10843 ай бұрын
3:07 “I CAN’T BREATHE!”
@theromanorder3 ай бұрын
I questioned this then one day i found a animation that shows this
@sinamonigibson82313 ай бұрын
My favourite trains have smoke deflectors i just think they are nice
@therailfanman20783 ай бұрын
IMO 844 doesn't look the same without her ears. For me, it's like unstreamlining a NYC Hudson.
@alexhajnal1073 ай бұрын
The louvers in front of the stack on those served the same purpose (albeit with a slightly different working principle).
@joshjones34083 ай бұрын
They are there to make people ask questions..
@timkis643 ай бұрын
with the coal smoke that belcbes out of some of the locomotives, its a wonder the crew didnt get black lung or lung cancer in a year on the job.& yet the state wont renew my tags if i have a slow 02 sensor.just goes to show emission laws are to make money, not for emissions control.
@k.b.tidwell3 ай бұрын
They also conveniently ignore how all the volcanoes going off around the world spew out more in a day than we ever have in history.
@dannyjones38403 ай бұрын
As a NYC fan- I can't stand a Niagara or Mohawk with their ears!
@CollinBlack-j1y3 ай бұрын
So which version was the most efficient?
@subz555Ай бұрын
Just thinking about it I don’t think NZR fitted any smoke deflectors to any of there locomotives?
@Krazytalk4443 ай бұрын
Looking pretty being more important than being able to breathe is the same rationale for the invention of a corset.
@23GreyFox3 ай бұрын
I like smoke deflectors. A German class 01 or 03 without them just doesn't look right.
@Irobert1115HD3 ай бұрын
your pronounciation of windleitbleche was alsmost perfect. you inly messed up the ch.
@pkat3 ай бұрын
They're called Smoke LIFTERS
@gonzoengineering48943 ай бұрын
Not in any official capacity they aren't. Some companies called them smoke lifting plates, and smoke lifters appears to come from model companies paying writers by the letter
@LoPhatKao3 ай бұрын
ok... but *how* does it work
@Tonymeows433 ай бұрын
Visit 524 6th St, New Westminster, BC V3L 3B4, Canada PLEASE
@brucesim20033 ай бұрын
I do like the the Wagner type. The Witte, not so much.
@Jeppe-Covid19593 ай бұрын
Wagner and Witte was DRG/DRB CEOs. Wagner died in 1942.
@harrisonallen6513 ай бұрын
They’ve got ears
@k.b.tidwell3 ай бұрын
A train is a tool like a hammer. Why in the world does aesthetics matter? Get the job done = profit.
@Vincent-_-1233 ай бұрын
Excuse me, but wtf did you say in german there?
@genislebastard34913 ай бұрын
Cp 3101
@jonichielochielo32093 ай бұрын
di indonesia semua lokomotif kelasD52mempunyai nya
@jeverett59Ай бұрын
Dam, your german vetter than some of english😅
@Freddyco9053 ай бұрын
Worst trains ever part 27 & is the SR Battle of Britain og bad
@TruenoD123 ай бұрын
I know that if this is for pushing the smoke out of the cab