Southern
Pacific ordered all of their early locomotives with number boards on
both ends. Each number board is designed to hold 5 opaque number or
letter inserts, separated by vertical metal pieces. During the
GRIP program which the 4423 went through in 1977, the rear number board
openings were plated shut and simple plastic 1 piece boards were made
for the front to replace the clear glass which normally covered the
opening. Cutting out the rear openings was a real chore because
the plates were welded into the opening rather than over it. In
addition, whoever welded the plates in was a good welder and got nearly
100% penetration on his welds. Once opened up, the interior of
the number boxes was cleaned of rust, wiped with Rust Mort and then
primered and painted. Replacement sockets were mounted and then
wired into the existing circuits. New glass lenses were made and
installed along with new rubber glazing.
The front number board openings were intact and the only problem was
that the vertical number separators had been cut out.
Replacements were made using the rear parts as patterns.
The work here was pretty simple. The separators were welded in,
the interior of the box painted and we awaited the arrival of new
glass. Once on site, the glass was installed, bulbs screwed in
the sockets and numbers put in the slots. Of course, the 5472 is
only a test to see what the original number looks like.
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