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Hi all, I've been reading MR for close to 50 years, and decided today to visit here. I tried the search function and found nothing on this topic, so please refer me if prior discussion exists. I am interested in both steam and diesel in the context of the questions. In the interest of prototypical realism, I am looking for insight into how a railroad decides what type of locomotive to put on the front of a train. I have read various books such as the spottin guides and the cyclopedias, but they largely just describe the differences. For example telling me that a 4-8-2 evolves into a 4-8-4 by having a larger firebox than the 4-8-2. But nothing to tell me where each type is more appropriate. I have no specific types in mind other than as examples. I am looking for general guidelines. My working impressions may be faulty. For example larger driving wheels would seem to be more for speed, while smaller drivers would be more for pulling tonnage. And having more drivers would seem to be a matter of getting more traction on the rails for a heavier load. But the firebox issue is different. Would a larger firebox be more intended to be able to produce a lot of steam more quickly under demand or would it be for sustaining more heat over time? And boiler length in general is a question. A 4 wheel versus 2 wheel lead truck indicates to me a longer boiler. WOuld that be just to make more steam in a given period of time? Or does it affect the pressure in some way. I assume there would be greater surface area in the flues, but to what end. Not looking for the physics of steam engines necessarily, just what goes into selecting a 2-8-4 versus a 4-8-4 versus a 4-8-2 or a 2-8-2. ANd while diesels - road diesels anyway - seem to be more versatile, I still have to decide whether I send a GP9 or an SD9 out at the head of a freight train.. Does the six-axle truck spread the weight over more axles? or does it provide more driving wheels for more pulling power? And while I am at it, my interest is mainly in the B&O, for whom my grandfather worked all his life. The B&O ran its GP diesels long hood forward like some others, while many other roads ran them short hood forward. For a model, external appearance doesn't change, but for interiors, were the locomotives manufactured with the cab fittings - controls and so on - "reversed" for those roads, or were they all the same and the engineer had to sit on the same side of the locomotive regardless? Thanks for any responses.
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