The deckless locomotive cab of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy steam locomotive # 637. The Illinois Railway Museum. Union Illinois USA.

I took this photo inside display barn #8, at the Illinois Railway Museum.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad steam locomotive # 637, is a 4-6-0 Ten wheeler type built in 1892 by the Rogers Locomotive Works of Patterson New Jersey.

Locomotives from this period were becoming larger and heavier, to meet the ever increasing needs of longer trains and heavier cars. Locomotives like # 637, were built with what was known as a "Deckless Cab", wich meant that the locomotives boiler extended all the way through the cab. The locomotive engineer had to ride alongside the boiler facing sideways, while the fireman rode inside the coal tender
wich swayed from side to side at speed. This type of locomotive cab configuration was later "Outlawed", as the standard "Deck" style cab proved to be much safer.

Some railroads like the Norfolk & Western, used deckless cabs like this on their M class 4-8-0 steam locomotives until the end of N & W Steam in the late 1950's. Deckless cabs were very common on "Narrow Guage" steam locomotives. Three operating examples of such today, are a 4-6-0 ten wheeler type from the East Tennesee & Western North Carolina Railroad operating on the "Tweetsie Railroad" in Blowing Rock North Carolina, several early 1900's era 2-8-2 Mikado types operating on the East Broad Top Railroad in Orbisronia Pennsylvania, and Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-0 Consolidation type steam locomotive # 346 operating at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden Colorado.