Maybe some sort of 'deadmans' device, on UK traction thats what it would be...
I thought the engineer had a button or plate to press with his hand every 30 seconds, as the constant pressure of a deadman switch on the floor was causing leg problems. Also, set your toolbox on the floor switch, take a nap and...
The worn red device under the Control stand is the foot pedal for Automatic Horn sequencer it automaticly blows two longs a short and long, over and over again till you kick the button again.
Dumping on tracks is illegal the waste is retained and you will see a dump maniford for Yard hookup on engineers side hehind side ladder for cab.
That button that you have to press every 30 seconds or so is called an alerter switch. A throttle change counts as an alerter reset, so if you're constantly adjusting the throttle (like during acceleration), you don't need to press it. Interestingly, at least on EMD products (not sure about GE), moving the brake (either the independent or the automatic) does not reset the alerter, so you still need to hit the button if you're slowing down in idle (i.e. not stretch braking)...
Ah, yes. Forgot about some of those. I believe it's virtually identical on the EMDs (with the exception of the cab signal acknowledgment, since the ones I worked on didn't have cab signals).
