In December 200?, a friend of mine and ? employee at the ? Yard in ?, N.C. allowed my dad and I into the yard and even let me take control of 3 Dash 9s for a short distance in the yard. I didn’t travel far but the power of the engines was amazing! And for any of you who have played Microsoft Train Simulator, the controls on the Dash 9 are just as they are in the game. I knew how to almost do everything to get it moving.
Not an engineer, but my engineer has let me spell him every once in a while.
Dont like the way Dash 9s stop, nor their controls.
Do like the way the SD70M stops, dont like their controls either.
Like the way a SD40-2 stops, starts and runs, and like the old control stand.
You can run it by the seat of your pants, you “feel” what it is doing, and going to do…
All that said, its a blast having that much horsepower at your fingertips, but I bet the first time you suck a drawbar out, or bust a knuckle, it aint so fun having everybody look at you like its your fault…
Ed
Considerable power…and considerable responsibility too…[;)] I found the recent ‘Trains’ article on braking quite a revelation - so much to consider! Whew! [;)]
I am a member of the Orange Empire Railway Museum. Recently on Members Day, they brought out their ex SP ALCo S4 pulling a caboose.Members could take turns running the loco on our main line.It was an awesome experience.[:D]
Ed, you’re calling the SD40-2’s control stand “old”?
From the reactions of others, and the reasoning behind those reactions, I’d have to concur with you on the “desktop” controls.
But your “old” control stand is the newest I’ve actually operated…I think they called the EMD’s “oil drum” stands until an early version of the standardized stand came into use during the late 1950s. And I loved the wrench-style reverse lever and loooong throttle handles on Alcos!
However, I have not operated a locomotive since hiring out on a railroad (other than to sound the horn while the engineer was absent for personal reasons). All of my locomotive-operating escapades were as a teenager…and the engineers who were with me thought I was pretty darned good at it!
SJ, I hope you get the opportunity somehow, somewhere, but it’s a lot different nowadays, what with licensing requirements. It used to be just the railroads that frowned on unauthorized persons in the cabs, but now…
Back in the UK when I was employed in railway car control , we had an arrangement where my partner in the office went to the pub a couple of times a week when on shift . In turn his friend an engineer let me go for rides late at night . I once drove a 4 car electric mu from Southampton to Eastleigh ( about 7 miles ) at up to speeds of 75 mph while the engineer & conductor sat & chatted , another time I drove a DEMU about 12 miles again up to track speed & stopped it right on spot under the footbridge so the driver could view the young ladies leaving the train . All this and I’ m colour blind!! - so not able to be an engineer by trade. – great times.
Reminded me that I had similar experience with the Illinois Central’s electric MU cars (the 1929 single level versions) back in the early '60’s when I was a trainman on that line. When deadheading home on a late night train, a friendly engineer let me take overs the controls, but he stayed in the compartment. I needed him to give me the spots for brake applications for the station stops. Trickiest part was letting off the air just as the train was about to stop, otherwise the riders got a nice jolt. After a few oppurtunities, I wasn’t too bad at it.
Oh yes, engineers, not motormen. These guys bid the jobs off the Chicago District roster that covered freight and passenger, and at that time many had steam experience. “Motorman” at best would get you a cold stare.
At a later time on a “familiaration” for us office types got to move a light SW down a stretch of track, but not much of a deal.
Had many rides in cabs of real trains, but was more than happy to let the hogger do his job. My train handling skills? Good thing simulators are virtual.
Several different cab interior shots of MODERN CANADIAN locomotives, GE and EMD. The control stand: Not the desktop controls but a “modernized left-hand” control stand!
Quite refreshing to see. Have heard that many engineers dislike the “trolley car” style (nicknamed) desk on many of the modern units.
If I had the chance Id thank the Northwestern crew that let me drive a 6800 SD40-2.We went up Pioneer hill in run 8 with a grain train and those 2 SD40’s screaming behind me while i blew the horns was a thrill to me when i was young. Thats the frist trian i ever got to operate but the first locomotive i ever got to get into the cab was in 1984 on the old Milwakee line across illinois. An SD40-2 again but in the hiawatha paint. Got a pic of little ol’ 5 year old me in the cab. AWWWWWW. LONG LIVE THE ROCK!!!
On the UP/CNW wide cabs the cab signal cutout was somewhere down in the nose , usually across from the toilet compartment. On some of the UP’s EMD engines, in the 8000 something series, the cab signal cutout is in the computer and accessed thru the computer screen.
Down in the nose is a sign, “CCS/ATC cab signal cutout located on driver’s side computer screen.”
Maybe whoever came up with the sign was British.
Jeff
Sorry Carl,
What I meant was older style, left side stand, with guages instead of monitors.
And I didnt like the Nintendo, or desk top controls, they make running backwards a pain in the neck!!!
I perfer the old analog guage instead of the computer screen, I had to figure out what the screen was saying, but with the guages, all it took was glancing at them for it to make sense.
Thats what I liked about the SD70M, even though it had desktop controls, it still had guages, not screens.
Whoever decided the Dash 9s radiators should hang out that far and that low should be made to run the silly thing long hood forward for a few hours, you cant see out of the read door past them, unless you kinda crouch down in the chair, or sit sideways leaning back, trying to look out the side window.
Not designed very well.