You're confusing the SP 9010, a Krauss-Maffei diesel-hydraulic built to an Americanized design with a somewhat similar-looking cab and then rebuilt after retirement to a "camera car" with an even weirder cab, to the GE BQ23-7.

The BQ23-7 was only sold to SCL/Family Lines, as I recall.

Thanks for the clarification Sandy.

The Reading 2-2-2t at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis has a small, heavily-lagged boiler to make the inspection cab comfortable. It has seats on each side, of the individual, padded armchair variety. I believe they swivel. The interior of the cab if nicely finished. I'm sure the NYC Sytem loco pictured earlier was similarly equipped.

The "Cleveland" was built with an experimental four cylinder drive and was called a “four cylinder simple engine arranged on the balanced principal, to assist in securing the ease of riding desired in a locomotive designed for inspection purposes.” All four cylinders drove the front axle by using two pair of main rods. One pair of rods was in the conventional position outside the drivers and a duplicate pair drove the cranked part of the axle between the frames. It was thought that using four instead of two cylinders would spread the power strokes out to let it ride more smoothly than conventional engines. The machinery was arranged so that a single piston valve served each pair of cylinders. This allowed steam to enter opposite ends of both cylinders at the same time and “. . . providing equal pressure against each piston and maintaining the balance." It was the first four cylinder balanced type in North America that was not a compound, as these were not looked upon with favor on the LS&MS. As built by Collingwood Shops in July 1906 it had four 12½” x 20” cylinders, 63” drivers, and 180 lbs. boiler pressure. These four cylinders were considered the equal of a single 17¾” diameter cylinder in volume. If you look at the counterweights you will see that the ones on the front driver are in an unusual position as a result of the four cylinder design. Its drive system was not a success and it was rebuilt in October 1908 with two 17” x 24” cylinders with slide valves and 69” drivers.

The 50" diameter wagon top boiler was specifically designed for an inspection locomotive and was smaller in diameter than a normal one, and it had its steam dome over the firebox at the rear to keep it out of the inspection compartment. The top of the boiler was about even with the bottom of the side windows. The first four side windows were where the inspectors sat, in whicker armchairs along the sides of the boiler. The boiler was covered, heavily insulated, and there was an insulating air space left between the boiler jacket and the covering. Additional people could sit on the boiler cover which was carpeted, as was the floor along the boiler. Seats to the rear were on a step that made it easier to see over those in front of them. The steam dome had an extension on it that was under pressure and this went through the roof, where the safety valves and whistle were located. The whistle was located at the rear of the roof with a steam supply pipe leading to the top of the steam dome. The cab was where the last three side windows are and there was a partition between the front and cab which had windows in it so the engineer could see to the front to some degree.

There were about 100 inspection locos on American railroads. My article on them, from which some of the above is taken, can be found in Railroad History #206, Spring/Summer 2012. Of these 42 were of the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement, nearly all converted from old locos. The "Cleveland" was one of only eight built new.

Ron,

Thanks for posting that detailed information on the Cleveland. As a group, inspection locomotives were surely in a class by themselves. I have seen quite a few different photos of them, and they have always struck me as a remarkable curiosity. But I never really knew the extent of their application.

Your information on the Cleveland sounds like a lot of care was put into the design and ergonomics of the interior accommodations. It is interesting to imagine people riding on top of the carpeted boiler. I can see how extra lagging would offset the comfort problem posed by boiler heat. It looks like this extra thick lagging is evident on the smokebox.