Why Old Locomotives Used To Have 'GIANT EARS'

Why did old steam locomotives have giant metal plates on the front? Known as smoke deflectors, these large plates were designed to control the airflow around a steam locomotive and lift smoke away from the driver’s line of sight. As steam engines became more efficient, their exhaust changed—and smoke could begin drifting back toward the cab instead of being blasted safely above it. In this episode, we break down: What Smoke Deflectors Actually Do: How the giant plates redirect airflow around the locomotive and help lift smoke away from the cab. Why Better Engines Created the Problem: How more efficient exhaust systems, including the Kylchap design, changed the way smoke left the chimney. Why Drivers Needed Them: How drifting smoke could obscure signals and make high-speed steam locomotives much harder to operate safely. Why Different Locomotives Used Different Designs: From large German-style deflectors to smaller Witte designs and streamlined alternatives like the A4 Pacific. 🛡️ Protect Your Online Privacy with NordVPN: Whether you're streaming, researching, or browsing on public Wi-Fi, keep your data encrypted and secure with next-gen speed. 👉 Get the best deal on NordVPN here: https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=612&aff_id=155415&url_id=14830 (Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee!) Subscribe to Simple Concepts Explained for clear breakdowns of steam locomotives, trains, railway engineering, locomotive technology, transportation, infrastructure, and the engineering behind how trains work.