Smoke deflectors are large metal panels attached to the front sides of a steam locomotive's smokebox. By catching the oncoming air and channeling it upward, they create a draft that lifts steam and exhaust smoke above the boiler when the train is moving. This prevents the exhaust from clinging to the boiler and obscuring the engineer's forward visibility.
Heard on the job
Check the mounting brackets on the engineer's side smoke deflector, it was rattling pretty bad on the last run.
Insider tip
In North American railroading, these are almost universally nicknamed 'elephant ears' due to their large, flared appearance on the front of the boiler.
Also heard as
- elephant ears