For me it was about 1975 on the Ralston switch job in downtown Battle Creek, MI. I was hanging around, watching the action, then (I can say it now since the parties in question are deceased), Conductor Tom Shue invited me up for a ride. I rode with those guys all day on PC SW-8 # 8608. I’ll never forget that day. The engineer was named Gale. I never cought his last name. This was when the old D.T&M was still intact to Rumely yard. Talk about some BAD track… 10 mph, thinking we would hit the ground at any minute. An entire afternoon bombing around with this job was FANTASTIC!!! A few years after that riding the Amtrak to Kalamazoo, and later to Chicago, Tom Shue was the conductor on the train I was riding. We shared a Coke in the “Turbo-Dinette”. On that SW-8, he pointed to the hatch on the cab floor, and told me that they kept their potatoes and carrots down there. I knew he was kidding, but I remembered that on the Amtrak, and offered to buy him a salad. We ended up getting chili dogs and milk shakes at Fabers in Union Station in Chicago.
Age seven, returning from the 1939 NYC World’s Fair on the LIRR (10 mile, 10 minutes, 10 cents) mu engineer saw me peeking though the door separating the vestibule from the coach interior, invited me to ride the front platform with him. Scared wnen the wistle blew when approaching Penn Station, but still loved the experience and was the first of many such rides on the LIRR, NYNH&H, and NYCentral. The last, much later in life, included a B-Liner (RDC) through the Berkshires Albany - Springfield.
For a genuine locomotive, the very first cab ride was arranged by Bob Konsbrook for me and himself on a CERA South Shore fantrip, summer of 1952, Little Joe. Only time on steam, including throttle time was light engine move, 4-8-0, Pratoria “Engine Sheds,” South Africa, around 1984. First diesel also 1952 in connection with work at EMD.
B&O Chicago Express #9 Garrett, IN to Chicago - #9 was about 1 hour late and left Garrett about 5 minutes ahead of the Capitol Limited, whose headlight could be seen arriving Garrett as we departed. Engineer quickly notched out to the 8th notch and left it there until 118 was seen on the Chicago Pneumatic Speed Recorder - and across Indiana we went, made a station stop a LaPaz (B&O’s version of South Bend), leaving LaPaz it was all 8th notch until stopping a Gary - beyond Gary the speeds were reduced account all of the urban operations as well as operating over the Rock Island as the B&O’s route meandered its way to Grand Central Station after a stop at 63rd Street. #9 was OS’d into Grand Central On Time.
I was 13 - my father was the Superintendent and his instructions to the engineers - Observe timetable and train order slow orders - if you are late and there are no speed restrictions - go as fast as necessary to get back On Time. The sensibilities of railroad speed were much different in that bygone era than they are today.
My first cab ride came in 1965; I had written the superintendent of IC’s Tennessee Division, asking about such a ride from Memphis to Grenada on the City of New Orleans on a certain date. His response was that I could–and he would be in the cab also. However, he was called away, and one of his subordinates took his place, sitting in the fireman’s seat–I sat in the middle. Soon after leaving Memphis, I motioned to the engineer, indicating that I would like to handle the horn–and I did so until it became too dark for me to distinguish between mile posts and whistle posts (same size and shape).
As to speed, I noticed that the speedometer needle stayed about 90 most of the way–and we did not make up any time (ABS only).
I had also written the superintendent of the Louisiana Divisio, asking permission to ride the engine from Jackson to New Orleans; his response was that such permission was not granted.
I did have the pleasure of helping the conductor, who knew me, sort his tickets after we left Hammond.
My second cab ride came in 1969, right after Southern #41 and $42 were truncated at York, Alabama When I boarded in Birmingham, and told the conductor, whom I had known for a few years that I was going to go to York and back and then get off in Tuscaloosa, he refused to take my Tuscaloosa-York round trip ticket (I did use it later). While we were waiting for train time in York, I asked him about riding the engine back to Tuscaloosa–and he took me up to the engine, introduced me to the engine crew–and I stayed there until we stopped in Tuscaloosa, where I got of
I should have noted that I have had cab rides in Israel, the first in 1960, on my first visit, but none for the last 22 years, and all on the scenic old T. A. - Jerusalem line, not the fast T. A.- Haifa line.
My one British experience was on a Deltic diesel, London - Newcastle, the year before the line was electrified. Steady 100mph running, on-time departure, two or three miniutes early arrival. No Canadian cab rides, but Edmonton westbound to too sleepy to stay awake in a CN office car with Jack May and Bruse Russell, CN Continental.
It wasn’t much of a ride, but back in 1976 (I was 16), my uncle took me to the old PRR (CR) Pitcairn engine terminal. There was an SD40/SD35/SD40 consist at the fuel racks and the hostler let me move them up and down the track a couple of hundred feet.
While working in Official capacity for the B&O I had numerous occasions to ride the cab. Some were memorable.
Riding from New Castle to Akron on the train known as DETR or Detroiter - a empty autoparts trains that originated at Cumberland with cars moving back to Michigan from the GM assembly plants at Wilmington & Baltimore as well as the parts distribution facility at Martinsburg, WV. As I recall, the train out of New Castle had approximately 150 cars and a single SD-40 for power - and even though the length of trains wasn’t calculated in those days - the train was approacing 8000 or more feet in lenght - auto racks, high cube box cars - 89 foot empty frame flats. Engineer notched the train up to #8 and there it stayed from OA Tower at New Castle to Center Street Crossing at Haselton to make a statuatory STOP for the non-interlocked railroad crossings at grade. Getting the Green Highball from the Train Director at Center Street - the engineer notched back up to #8 and we were off again - with the knowledge that the locomotive with the train’s tonnage of about 5600 tons was overloaded for Akron Hill, with Akron Jct being the pit of the 1% hill and having a permanent speed restriction of 10 MPH. Akron hill was a descent and ascent in both directions with Akron Jct. being the bottom. Each part of the grade was approximately 1 mile long. Short heavy trains frequently stalled - both Eastbound and Westbound. Long heavy trains would normally fare better as the rear part of the train would still be descending and ‘adding horsepower’ to the head end of the train that was climbing the hill. At 8K feet the DETR had the advantage of having its train help it over the hill - the engineer slowed to walking speed as we passed the platform at Akron Union Station and my boss and I dismounted. Maximum observed speed for the run was 24 MPH and the approximately 58 miles wer
My one and only cab ride was in the late 11950s, I was maybe 12. I spent hours on the porch of the B&O YMCA at Brunswick, MD, across from the roundhouse. A hostler had seen me there all summer and motioned me down the stairs and invited me over to the roundhouse. We climbed onto a GP7 next to the roundhouse, track lined up with the turntable.
He showed me to the engineers seat, showed me the dead man switch I had to stand on. Told me to pull back the throttle three notches, release the brake, and off we went onto the turntable. Notch throttle back down to zero, and apply brakes once on t he table. They turned us to a dofferent track, and we drove over to another spot to leave the locomotive.
It only lasted a few minutes, but I still remembe the feeling of the power of the engine behind me as it wound up to move us. Didn’t go fast, didn’t go far, but I treasure the memory.
I remember trying to sound knowledgeable, “This is a GP7, right?” “Oh, this is a General Motors,” he said.
BaltaCD: How many minutes altogether would you estimate that SW1 was really lugging at less than one mile-per-hour? The DC EMD motors had short-time ampere ratings roughly twice that of long-term; the limitation being heat dissipation and not cooking the insulation for motor-blow-out.
Although the SW1’s horse-power rating was much less, the DC traction motors were the same as used on F-units of higher horsepower. With much lower-speed gearing, they could actually outpull the higher-horsepower F-units as far as low-speed lugging or starting a train.
Probably 20-25 minutes - I am aware that SW-1’s were geared much lower than road power (B&O at one time had several sets of F7’s that were geared for a maximum of 50 MPH that were kept in helper service on the grades between Cumberland and Grafton). I don’t know what the minimum continuous speed for a SW1 was or what it’s short time restrictions were. The B&O SW1’s dated from 1940 and their electrical gear would be of the FT generation, most likely and Timetable limited them to a maximum of 45 MPH.
Many switchers were ballasted to give additional traction, our NW2 weighs more and will out-pull our F3A at low speeds, even though they are both geared for 65 mph.
No matter the gearing, operating at 1 mph in full throttle would definitely put the unit into the short-time ratings. The only upside of running in notch 8 is that the traction motor blower is also running at maximum speed, they were belt-driven off the crankshaft in older units.
Depending on the unit, you can run for a surprising amount of time with the ammeter in the short-time ratings zone before something gives.
Not sure exactly what a SW1’s ratings would be, but on most DC locomotives they seem to start at around 1000 amps, and the ratings for 1 hour, 30 minutes and 15 minutes are normally listed on the control stand, along with the continuous rating.
A locomotive geared for 65 mph will have a minimum continuous speed of around 12 mph. I would think a lower gear ratio would result in a lower minimum continuous speed, but am not sure.
Becky, I think you would have enjoyed the cab rides I had in freight locomotives. Except for one round trip to Aliceville, they were all in the yard in Reform, Alabama (where I lived for nine years). I came to know the men who ran between Reform and Aliceville very well, and they did not mind my riding–and even let me run the engine around the wye on two occasions. The trip to Aliceville and back took two hours each way for the twenty miles, and was after a December sunset. They ate in a restaurant in Aliceville, and paid for my supper.
I would also play brakeman or switch tender; apparently they had confidence in me.
I regret that I did not take my wife with me at least one time and ask if she could run the engine.
I got my first cab ride late in life. In 2005 during the bicentenial of the Lewis and Clarke Expedition, they ran a train along the Colombia River from Portland to Astoria. It was three RCDs. I was looking out the door window thru the vestibule and out the front center window. The engineer noticed me and motioned me into the front vestibule cab. Soon other passengers were invited in.
In 2007 we rode the Rio Grande Scenic out of Alamosa. It was a true mixed train, wih a ballast car and a side dump car. As they were starting up the grade, they stopped, uncoupled the side dump car from the passenger cars, went ahead a little and dumped some rip-rap along a fill. I was walking back thru the train between cars when the conductor was letting a passenger out onto the ROW. The conductor asked if I was going too. Figuring it was to take photos, I said yes. I was following the other passenger forward, when the Conductor got on his radio to the engineer, to say he was sending two to the front. It was only then that I realized I had stumbled into a cab ride. I called back to the conductor, to tell my wife where I was going. The loco was an ex-Amtrak F40. The ride going up LaVeta Pass around sweeping curves and the loop at Fir was scenic, but the ride down the east side with its 3% grades and unbelievably tight curves was spectacular. It’s hard to believe 2-8-8-2’s ran on the line back in the day.
My last cab ride was on the Eureka Springs tourist RR, riding the switcher around the yard and on the turntable.
The speeds would be proportional. If top speed is moved from a change in gearing from 65 to 45 mph, then the minimum continuous full-throttle speed would move from 12 to 8.31 mph. A good question is what is the time limit on full throttle with a stall, with no movement at all. That time limit might be the same for a specific motor type regardless of gearing. I did know the answer to this in the distant past for the typical EMD motor, but forgot this information.
I rode a BN helper out of Crawford in 1979. Before the Orin line opened there were maybe 15 coal trains a day up the hill, and four helper sets (and seven helper crews) were based at Crawford. There had been a work window somewhere to the west, and the four sets were on duty at 15-minute intervals around dark, when traffic resumed.
I was astonished-- my first cab ride, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Apparently engines do that to you.
Riding on the tender of Disneyland Railroad’s #1 when I was eleven years old. As a teenager I would also get the chance to ride in the cab of an RS-4-TC used in inustrial switching service at a local salt plant.