How loud is it in P42 cab?

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George K

George K

Conductor
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
1,192
Location
The Chicago Burbs
On my daily walk, I was passing the BNSF "raceway" in the western suburbs of Chicago. A four-engine freight train interrupted me, and I was amazed at how *loud* it was.

Got me to thinking (no wisecracks, please), how loud is it in the cab of a P42? Do engineers wear ear protection (I've never seen it)?
 
George K said:
On my daily walk, I was passing the BNSF "raceway" in the western suburbs of Chicago. A four-engine freight train interrupted me, and I was amazed at how *loud* it was.

Got me to thinking (no wisecracks, please), how loud is it in the cab of a P42? Do engineers wear ear protection (I've never seen it)?
Click to expand...
Very loud, especially with HEP on, although nowhere near as bad as the F40s. On many Class Is, full PPE includes earplugs. Not sure about Amtrak but if I had to guess, they probably do.
 
Most of the Freight Engines I've been on aren't to bad as far as noise. Since NS' mainstay in power is the Dash 9 Widecab it wasn't to bad. The worst NS unit as far as noise goes is the SD60E rebuild. To have a simple conversation with your engineer you pretty much have to yell.

I recall one time on an Oil train we had a newer SD70ACe as our leader. Myself and the Engineer had our windows cracked open cause it was a nice night for it. After we recrewed the train we took the train east. Shortly after leaving the yard we came to a few crossings. When he blew for the first one, all of a sudden we both yelled "Holy S^&t, that horn is loud." I mean it was louder then most horns on that type of unit. It brought us a good laugh. The ACe units were nice cause they had an isolated cab.

Most railroads require ear protection, but many don't wear it. Eye protection varies by RR. According to NS at the time the only cab you didn't need it was a wide cab.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
George K said:
On my daily walk, I was passing the BNSF "raceway" in the western suburbs of Chicago. A four-engine freight train interrupted me, and I was amazed at how *loud* it was.

Got me to thinking (no wisecracks, please), how loud is it in the cab of a P42? Do engineers wear ear protection (I've never seen it)?
Click to expand...
Hearing protection is not required in the P40/P42s cab, but many people wear it anyway. I'd say the loudest constant sound source is the air conditioning on high. It makes an awful lot of noise for the small amount of A/C most engines provide. With the A/C off it's fairly quiet with a nice deep hum from the engine. Definitely want earplugs to go to the bathroom, though.
 
Surprised engineers do not use Noise Cancelling head phones. Could hear the dispatcher and conductor clearer. (Yeah, I know its against to rules to listen to music).
 
frequentflyer said:
Surprised engineers do not use Noise Cancelling head phones. Could hear the dispatcher and conductor clearer. (Yeah, I know its against to rules to listen to music).
Click to expand...
The roar of the engine and the clickety clack of the track is music enough.
 

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