This post includes sections on locomotive operation, cooling system, lubricating oil system and the fuel oil system. It concludes with a couple of contemporary photos of the E7 in operation - including a B unit.
Many of the locomotive engineers reading this manual might only have experience with steam locomotive operation. So the technical writers of this manual carefully and clearly explain procedures and principles. It may be my imagination, but it seems that this reference is written more in good, clear English than in technical jargon.
During the steam era, courses in railway technology and theory were published - most notably by the International Textbook Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania. And appliances, such as feedwater heaters, injectors and mechanical stokers had their own manufacturers' operating manuals. In contrast, diesel locomotives seem to have been the first type of motive power with complete operating manuals written by the manufacturer and specific to a particular model.
When an experienced steam locomotive engineer was first introduced to a diesel-electric and its simpler labelled controls, accounts sometimes stated that the engineer could be successfully operating the unit after only one training session over the road.
... However, 'driving' a new unit with simpler controls was distinct from being able to trouble-shoot it if it failed on the road ... or knowing that it couldn't be operated through water above the couplers - as sometimes occurred with steam engines!
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Here are a couple of contemporary photos of E7 locomotives in operation.
Notice that in both cases the 'hydro-pneumatic retractable draft gear'
(see Part 1) has been used to hide the front coupler.
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| from: Trains; September 1949; Kalmbach. |
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| from: Trains; June 1949, Kalmbach. |
The final segment of the manual is here: