951353 The engineer's console on a modern North American diesel locomotive now includes color computer displays. This Burlington Northern Santa Fe SD70MAC was built by a subsidiary of General Motors and photographed at Alliance, Nebr. The door at left leads to the nose compartment.
Al Krug, a locomotive engineer with BNSF in Wyoming, was kind enough to provide the following comments on the controls depicted in the photo:
"The big red button near lower right of desk is the Alerter Reset. The big gold button is the ditch light flasher I think. These things are in different places on Pumpkins, SD60Ms, and ATSF desk cab units so I am not sure which is what on the MACs right off hand.
"The far right lever is the Independent Brakes (loco brakes). Next lever left is the Automatic Brake (train brakes). Next is the Throttle/Dynamic Brake controller. Last is the Reverser (hard to see in photo).
"The four square switches left of the levers are Horn, Bell, Lead Axle Sand, and All Axles Sand.
Just to the right of the radio handset are the headlight switches; you are looking at them from the side.
"The two computer screens are obvious. Each has a row of push buttons along its bottom edge. These are the function keys.
"Overhead is the radio with its touch-tone keypad and volume and transmit buttons.To the left of the radio are the heater/air conditioning switches and the electrically heated windshield (defroster) switch. Far right top is the emergency fuel cut off switch.
"The switch in the red square to the right of the computers is the rear end emergency switch. It puts FRED and thus the train into emergency from the rear end.
"Hope I got them all right as I am doing this from memory of your photo and my memory of the MACs. I seldom get them on the Laurel run."
AK
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