When F units (As) were run in pairs were they ever run "elephant" style or were they always run "tail to tail"?
I'm sure there have been many occasions where A units were run elephant style. As long as there was a way to turn the engines for the return trip (or some other power pointing in the right direction), it is not a problem at all.
I was curious I have never seen a photo depicting it
There are lots of photos out there of exactly that occurring.
Some railroads ordered at least some of their A-units without front MU connections, those particular units could only lead or be facing backward at the very rear of the consist. Many had front MU connections added later, others ran until retirement without them.
There are a few in museums that are still in this configuration.
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And then there were the FT units with their original drawbar configuration and no coupler in the sets. (part of why the FT-B units were not proportioned like the later B units)
Some Metra consists have 2 F40's on the outer end and they are always elephant-style. The extra F40 is deadheading so that there is protection power available at the appropriate location.
When originally placed in service - most - F A units did not have a MU terminal incorporated in their nose. As they continued in service many got updated with a MU terminal being built into their nose so that they could be MU'd through the nose.
I have seen many pictures of A units running elephant style as well as a few with the A units in trailing positions of the locomotive consisted being MU'd nose to nose.
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BaltACD I have seen many pictures of A units running elephant style as well as a few with the A units in trailing positions of the locomotive consisted being MU'd nose to nose.
For some reason CN only added the MU air hoses on one side of their EMD and FM/CLC A-units, while most of their MLW's had them on both sides.
As the MU air hoses cannot be connected across/underneath the drawbar like the trainline and communication/supplementary air hoses, this meant that these units could not be coupled nose to nose and have full air brake functionality unless hose extensions (Dutchmen?) were used.
Of course one could also set the trailing unit(s) up in "boxcar mode" (automatic brake cut out, independent in lead with the handle left in the released position) and plug in the MU cable, in this situation the trailing unit(s) would still pull like a locomotive but brake like a car.
I don't think I've ever seen a photo of two of CN's EMD A-units coupled nose to nose.
CSSHEGEWISCHCSSHEGEWISCH wrote the following post 5 hours ago: Some Metra consists have 2 F40's on the outer end and they are always elephant-style. The extra F40 is deadheading so that there is protection power available at the appropriate location.
For some reason, Metra can't connect a cab end to a coach so that when a unit dies and they use a following train to push it to the station, they have to have the engineer of the pushing engine controling the throttle and the lead engineer control the brakes. I saw it done at BNSF's Belmont Rd stop one evening when I got off my outbound scoot and the inbound was waiting for the next inbound to push it in. Learned that for some reason, the failed loco would not come out of dynamic braking and load up thus the need for the push. Following train came up, coupled up, air hoses were connected, and in they went. Why they didn't have mu cables that mated, I have no clue. Many years ago, when I rode the C&NW commute, I was on a train that had to be pushed by it's follower but had no observation of how it was accomplished. My recollection was that the MU sockets were up higher on the nose of the locos and at coupler level, below floor level on coaches.
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