Ontario Northland 2-8-0 on display at North Bay, Ontario, 1960s. How's it doing today?

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?n ... nd_503.jpg

Plus ON "137", actually CN 2164, a 2-8-0 owned by the Ontario government that ran excursions in the 1960s, before being damaged in a fire. Now on display at Cochrane, Ontario.

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?n ... _steam.jpg

At the present time, ONR 503, looks good, and is still on display at North Bay. ONR 137, is also looking good, at the head-end of a museum train (open week-ends during the summer) sitting in a deadend track at the former Union Station in Cochrane.

Seeing smoke deflectors on a 2-8-0 is very unusual. Was this done just for the display or did 503 actualy sport them during it's working life? At what speed did these "elephant ears" become effective? I can't see a 2-8-0 going fast enough for them to be any good (and I wouldn't want to be riding it if it did!).

Thanks.

Many different railway companies tried using smoke deflectors(of different types) with varous degrees of success. Shop records show that that when several locomotives arrived at Canadian National's Stratford, Ontario, Shop for overhaul, they emerged with "elephant ears" In the United Kingdom, the Southern Railway, first had locomotives, with smoke deflectors built into the frame, and only extended about halfway up the side of the boiler. Later, Southern Railway locomotives, had smoke deflectors built into the design, which covered the whole(front) side of the boiler. The London and North Eastern Railway, added "half" deflectors to its Class A3's, while adding full deflectors on their Class A1's. The general theme in the literature on this topic, reveals that, if the devices reduced the amount of soot and smoke in the locomotives crews eyes, etc, then it was helpful, at any speed.