If you ever wondered what the rear view was like from the cab of a Canadian cowl locomotive equipped with a “Draper taper,” this is what it looks like from the engineer’s seat of Montana Limestone Company SD50F No. 5438 while moving cars between the loader and yard at Warren, Montana, on June 24, 2016. It’s really not bad at all, considering! You would not be able see a man on the rear steps, but can see pretty well to the rear of the train without using the mirror or opening the window. What is a “Draper taper?” It is the tapered notch cut into the carbody just behind the cab on Canadian cowl locomotives like EMD SD50Fs and SD60Fs, as well as GE C40-8Ms, so the train crew has some sight line backward. This feature was the creation of CN Assistant Chief of Motive Power William L. Draper.
Freight Cowls are standard locomotives that have a hood that extends the full width of the locomotive. Sadly, most Freight Cowls have been retired, but a few still run on short lines.
