There were two different systems offered to retract the pilot coupler on early EMD cab units!
It seems likely that the Armstrong 85 Revolution Technology quickly yielded to a power-driven system (link at the end).
Thanks to a gift from my brother, Eric, of some classic International Textbook Company railway self-study texts ... this bit of railway trivia has resurfaced in 2022.
In 1950 GM-EMD, Baldwin-Westinghouse, Alco-GE and Fairbanks-Morse all advertised diesel-electrics with streamlined pilots covering their front couplers. Can you imagine the fun of having to retrieve a snow and ice packed coupler from its pocket - midway through a run on a cold winter day? Surely this feature was never part of an order for a Canadian railway! You will find that answer below.
Yes, that Blomberg: Martin P Blomberg (1888-1966)
This textbook was published in 1945.
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| from: Locomotive Cyclopedia 1950-1952; Simmons-Boardman. |
To see the power-driven pilot coupler system, just check out this older post.