Fate of Cab Windows

: Durango, CO. Sep. 7, 2017

Here, a cab window means a window on the side of a cab, not the windshield. There used to be a large opening on the side of the cab where engineers would give waves to us on the trackside.

Today, in contrast with the cab windows of freight equipment, the cab windows of passenger equipment become relatively small.

: Sep. 10, 2017 Thompson Springs, UT
: Sep. 13, 2015 Santa Fe, NM

As you can see in the photo, GE P42DC first built in 1993 has a cab window with enough opening width for the engineer to hang out his arm. But MPI MP36PH first built in 2003 has a triangle window with only a small opening. Siemens Charger first built in 2016 has quite a little fixed window only to see the back mirror.

: Jul. 8, 2023 Vevey, Switzerland
: Jul. 8, 2023 Vevey, Switzerland
: Jul. 14, 2023 Basel, Switzerland

It seems the same in Switzerland. Black masking paints hide it, but the size of the cab windows of SBB equipment is getting small.

Not only SBB but narrow gauge tourist railways also introduce smaller cab window equipment. For example, as shown in the photo below, Gornergrat Railway (GGB) Bhe 4/8 with a wide cab window on the right was built in 1993, and Bhe 4/6 with a narrow cab window behind the mask on the left was built in 2022. MOB GPX equipment first built in 2020 seems to have a relatively large fixed cab window at a glance, but that’s maybe for the Prestige Class passengers right behind it.

: Jul. 9, 2023 Gornergrat, Switzerland
: Jul. 7, 2023 Montreux, Switzerland

In France, TGV Euroduplex first built in 2011 has a small fixed cab window, but TER 76500 series DMU first built in 2004 and TER 84500 series EMU first built in 2014 have no cab window.

I believe that the cab air conditioning and the conductor-less operation with a single operator at the center of the windshield brought about the decay of cab windows. Waving hands to and from trains may also decay in the near future.

: Jul. 12, 2023 Mulhouse, France
: Jul. 12, 2023 Mulhouse, France
: Jul. 11, 2023 Belfort, France


旅客用鉄道車両の運転席側窓についての観察である。

アメリカ、ヨーロッパを問わず、この20年の間に運転席側窓が小さくなったようだ。あってもはめ殺し、中には全く開口部がない車両もでてきた。車両デザインにおいても処理が難しいようで、変形させたり黒マスク塗装でカムフラージュしたり、と苦心の跡がみえる。

この傾向は、運転席にも空調設備が整い、また、中央に一人で着席するスタイルの運転席が主流になったからだろう。いずれ、リアクションを期待して列車に手を振ったりすることもなくなりそうだ。