Back when the Norfolk & Western ran their diesels “long hood” forward was the engineers control stand on the opposite side of the cab?
Thanks
MO
The engineer’s controls were on the right side of the cab, so I don’t know if that counts as “opposite”. N&W ordered their locomotives to be set up for long-hood-first operation, with the engineer’s controls set up to look out over that long hood when running “forward”. The end of the locomotive with the long hood bore the “F” for front lettering… which looked fairly odd on a long locomotive such as SD40 #6149 (in my photos).
Of course, N&W had inherited a number of locomotives from other RRs that remained in the “conventional” control set-up.
Bill
MO,
That is kind of a broad question. Originally, N&W (proper) units had high short hoods and dual control stands. So under most circunstances the engineer would be on the right side and units didn’t need to be turned.
Then they started buying units with only one control stand and it was mounted for long hood forward operation. Of coarse this single control stand meant that a low nose short was needed to see when running short hood forward.
A real problem developed when the greater influx of GE units were showing up being run long hood forward on the head end of trains. The GE’s were notorious for belching out black smoke and noxious fumes and it all seemed to curl right into the locomotive cab. After a period of time the unions got into the mix and got a short hood forward rule and then new units began showing up with the control stand set up for short hood forward running.
A classic lashup I caught in Waverly, NY in 1986…
THREE SD45’s, all running forward![:D]
it was the only time I saw such a pure and perfectly aligned SD45 lashup.
Scot
Thanks guys!
On a follow up question when the N&W changed to short hood first did they retro fit all of the long hood front locomotives or did they just wait and phase them out?
Again thanks everyone.
MO
No, no units were converted, they went through the life cycle.
Last move of the night on Wed I had a NS SD60 with the control stand on the left side of the cab.It would have been on the engineers right when running normal. I have seen this style a few times and always makes me go Hmmmmmmm.
We still have a few SD 9’s with the dual stands. Not a whole heck of a lot of room in the cab but I just love them.
I’m betting the long hood was the front of the engine, with the F stencil on the long hood, which means the control stand was on the right side of the cab. Correct?
Actually no the f was on the short hood and the stand on the conductors side.When I was in conductor class we had a unit like that and totall threw me and the others for a loop.
We had a laborer on the pit state " Them NS boys sure are funny" He had seen that control stand set up, and just about 6 months ago we had a “hopper” toilet come through. He wanted to know what the heck was wrong with it. No water, no flusher,no tank lol. Someone told him to dump the toilet on it,needless to say when we told him about the numbered bag system he was speechless.
Of course I am sure people say the same about us at the BN being weird.
I know this may be “apples and oranges” but NS did rebuild/remanufacture a number of high nose locomotives (GP38ACs and GP50s) into conventional cab, short hood units. Of course these rebuilds produced essentialy new (GP38-2 type) locomotives. Obviously, this was way after the “long hood” era had ended…