Can someone please refresh my memory… On multiple engine trains, why do railroads run the first engine forward and face the second engine backwards? I thought I had an article about this one time but cannot find it now. Thanks!
Not being an active RRer…my thought is that it’s for visibility so the crew running the train can see what they’re doing. The second unit may be facing that way for turnaround at terminal end purposes or just for ‘thats how we found it’. Correct me anyone if I’m wrong!
That pretty well sums up most of the reasons, with the turnaround thing being at the top of the list.
yes many yards are too lazy or aren’t able to turn the power so they face one in each direction
I’ll weigh in here and say the position of the second unit is arbitrary unless it’s also the last. The units on the ends are what you want to face away from the consist (usually) unless the consist is to be broken up for some reason.
It’s also desireable to have the second unit in a multiple consist face forward in case of lead unit failure where the lead unit needs to be set out or is robbed for another train. But often this is not practacle or worth the effort. Imagine haveing two DD40Xs back to back and loosing the lead one, thus haveing to run that monster loong hood forward.
Now that’s one long hood, Sir Robin (Chad)!
[(-D]
EGAD! CHAD!! [(-D]
GOOD POINT![:-,]
Hmm … all these important rules that I didn’t know we should have been following!
At the railroads I have worked for we just hooked up what is available and fueled and met the needs of the train (e.g., horsepower per ton ratio, DPU-equipped, d/b, etc.), with an eye toward the date each unit was due for its 92-day inspection. The only time we EVER paid any attention to the direction the trailing units were facing was if it was an out-and-back local that would flip directions on the return, and those were generally sets that lived on that train for days at a time. In that case we tried to give the local crew a rearward facing unit in the consist that had a radio, seats, etc., assuming such was available. Sometimes we didn’t even pay much attention to the direction the lead unit was facing, if we were in a pinch, and I did have the experience one night of riding an empty slab steel train for 250 miles powered by one AC4400 running backward.
Engine terminals haven’t got the budget to fool around making up pretty consists in proper orders and directions.
S. Hadid
About the only engines they care about are the leaders and than on locals making sure one faces each direction. Also when we depart an empty to spot an elevator we always try to make sure we have one facing backwards for the out bound crew. Yes I have been drivin 100 miles to an elevator to find out no one bothered to see that we had a forward facing locomotive for the return trip. And no wye within 100 miles to turn the power. All the reasons for having different facing loco’s are important and most shop crews will try to give you more than one facing forward and one rear facing loco if time and space at the roundhouse permits but sometimes the freight has got to go.
Always liked the day we showed up for our power at the roundhouse for an out and back local, first unit facing backwards, 3 trailing units all cabless units. Another time they gave us six axle loco, four axle loco, than a six axle loco and the industry tracks only allow for 4 axle units. Talk about a pain to cut apart the power so you can switch an industry.