I know there is no such thing as a dummy engine in the real world, but I was wondering why my MTH dummy car has an engineer in it? One for the “real power” engine and one in the dummy car? It just seems real trains have an engineer up front and that’s it. Maybe someone can set me straight.
Could be an engineer or other employee “deadheading” to their Home Terminal.
Generally speaking, there is only one engineer per train…unless they have a Trainee.
Sometimes dead heading employees do ride in other units due to no room in the lead unit.
(or they just want to be away from the operating crew.)
wouldn’t there be people in pushers at the rear? I know they mu the front consist w/ modern diesels. when was mu (or electrically connecting) started? I took figures out of one dummy but now I think I leave them in the rest.
If they are actually “Helpers”, or “pushers” that have no contact to the front end,
there would/should be people in those egnines. (used to totally rely on horn,
whistle signals.)
If they are “radio controlled”, ie DPUs, probably not.
If they are MUed from the front unit, (very highly unlikely) there would be one LONG MU cable from the front to the back of the train.)
If you visit HELPER, Utah, where the helper engines help the trains over Soldier Summit, you will see helper crewmen in the helper cabs. After they are done helping the trains to the summit, the helpers return to HELPER.
Check out the photos of the helpers at Helper here: http://www.helpercity.net/
Buckeye…That is a great site. I like the 2nd Annual Bordello Ball. They have some fabulous photos. Thanks for sharing.
Chuck
It would look more realistic to take the crew out of the second unit. But you might also want that to be the powered unit, since that makes a shorter train to pull off the track on sharp curves.
Buckeye, nice site…which one of the things do I click to find out about the" Bordello Ball"?
Chuck, is your Avatar of you standing in front of an old yellow C & O Caboose?
Yes…It was outside this museum…
Whoops…I stand corrected…It was a B & O caboose
Thank You!!.. at least it’s in the “same Family”.
Another reason some MFGs might put a engineer in a “dummy” unit is that some operators run with the dummy up front. I know that in some postwar engines, the horn was in the dummy and by putting it up front, gave the sound propper direction.
dennis
In the “real world” this could be quite feasible with a “Road Slug” in the lead, since they
retain all their controls. Basically, all they are missing, is the “prime mover”, and railroads
Do run them in the lead; particularly where the engines can’t be turned, but just run
around the train.
Here in south Florida FEC has an engineer & brakeman in the locomotive on short trains that service cement plants dropping off & picking up 100 ton hoppers. On the longer freight trains that go to the port of Miami they have two or three locomotives with one engineer in the first locomotive.
Also FEC has run five locomotives together in the past with over 200 freight cars on one train. Norfolk Southern has run four GP-60’s together with over 120 freight cars to Miami, far as I could tell only one engineer in the first loco.
Lee F.
What do you guys do? I think it looks funny to have a power unit and then the dummy unit with an engineer in each. So I think I’m going to yank the dummy engineer out. Both my GP 7 and GP 9 engines (T&P) have engineers, so I don’t I need one in the dummy unit. Just my thoughts…thanks for everyone elses!