Which way do your trains point?

[BerkshireSteam]

Looking beyond prototypical modeling/running of trains, how do you prefer to run your diesel locomotives?

Long hood

or short hood?

[jwhitten]

 

Mine run long hood forward, as was Pennsy practice.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Most I run short hood forward. Those in pairs are usually tail to tail though I have at least one pair that's nose to tail.

[MisterBeasley]

The Milwaukee Road ran their GP9s and Alco RS3s long hood forward, and so do I.

 

[jecorbett]

Since I haven't got around to full fledged operations yet, that is a decision I haven't had to make yet. Since there are no real safety issues involved, I can go either way. I am leaning toward long hood forward, but the decoders are set to run short hood forward, so it seems it would be simpler to go short hood forward. Decisions, decisions.

[PL&M RR]

 

While I prefer to run short hood forward, I have elected to designate the long hood as the front on all the PL&M's diesels. I chose to do this as a nod towards one of my prototype inspirations, the Norfolk and Western.

[galaxy]

They run pointed toward the East.

 

I prefer to run short hood forward.

NS around here runs that way.

I like the idea of having a "better view" out the driver's window so to speak.

[MisterBeasley]

jecorbett

I am leaning toward long hood forward, but the decoders are set to run short hood forward, so it seems it would be simpler to go short hood forward. Decisions, decisions.

It's just a matter of setting a bit in CV29 to reverse the direction.

[BATMAN]

I run short hood up front. If I was an engineer, I would want it that way just because of the better visibility. I know my CP Trainmasters were run long hood forward in real life, but I think they just look better in a lash up short hood forward. Besides it's my railroad so there.

 

                                                                   Brent

[selector]

It seems 'right' to me to run them short hood forward, but I know full well that the railroads ran them as if they were steamers with a long boiler out front.  At least, most did.  

Sooo, when someone on another forum asked me why this Fairbanks-Morse H24-66 was backing out of a tunnel, I replied that it was actually entering, but shoving a work train in to do repairs due to a rock fall from the roof of the tunnel. The asker was polite enough to accept my response.

-Crandell

[R. T. POTEET]

My trains don't point . . . . . but I have a dog that does. (HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!)

Except when accessing a mine spur my Seaboard and Western Virginia Railway operates the short hood as the front of the locomotive; in a multi-unit power lash-up at least one unit running behind the lead unit . . . . . . . . . . which will, of course, have its short hood leading the train . . . . . . . . . . will be running in reverse. Usually--but not always--the trailing unit in any multi-unit lash-up will be the unit running in reverse. Just to add spice to the mix I may on occasion run a two or three unit--but never a four unit--lash-up elephant style.

My diesel roster is vacant of any 1st generation B-B switchers so running long-hood forward is somewhat of a moot point . . . . . . . . . . in fact there are currently no B-B switchers on my roster. The only 1st generation diesels currently on my roster are a handful of Atlas' SD7/9s dating back to the early '90s and I am giving serious thought of disposing of these either through selling the kin-n-kaboodle offline or selling them to an on-line shortline. Beyond that my oldest units are SD35s which may also be just a little aged to operate in a fleet of SD70ACe/SD70M-2/ES44s.; these may also be sold off in the same manner as the previously cited SD7/9s.   

 

[tomikawaTT]

Wa-aal...

On the JNR, steam locos run smokebox forward - except for the helpers that run bunker-first from Tomikawa to Haruyama.

On the TTT, the teakettles all have their smokeboxes pointed DOWN, which is actually upgrade.  They are never turned.

The juice jacks all have control stands at both ends.  The EH10 has two separate carbodies, but the frames are coupled with a permanent drawbar and the whole is a single locomotive.

So, we come to the diesels - which are all center cab, symmetrical diesel-hydraulics and can run either way.

As to which way a specific train is pointing, that depends on its direction of travel.  UP trains point UP, and DOWN trains point DOWN, even if they are perfectly symmetrical DMU sets.

Chuck (Troublemaker modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[IVRW]

I dont model diesel, but I can tell you this about steam. In order to prevent rapid boiler cooling and spontaneous explosion, steam locomotives would point up the steep grade, regardless of direction of travel. This was to keep the water in the firebox to be heated up, rather than flowing into the front of the locomotive turning all the steam to water destroying the pressure and nullifying the brakes.

For you, I would look at your locomotives and see where fuel pumps and the like are located. If a loco was driving up a steep grade, the tank would be half full, yet none of the fuel could get to the pump if it was on the upper end.

Hope this helped!

[cv_acr]

IVRW

I dont model diesel, but I can tell you this about steam. In order to prevent rapid boiler cooling and spontaneous explosion, steam locomotives would point up the steep grade, regardless of direction of travel. This was to keep the water in the firebox to be heated up, rather than flowing into the front of the locomotive turning all the steam to water destroying the pressure and nullifying the brakes.

It has nothing to do with braking. If the firebox did not have water over it, it could cause the conditions for a boiler explosion.

That said, you need an extreme grade for that to be an issue. (Mt Washington cog railroad extreme) Most low water issues would simply be a case of the engine running out of water.

[pastorbob]

ATSF in 1989, I run them the way God intended, short hood /nose leading.

Bob

[rrinker]

The PROPER Reading way - long hood forward. Sometimes smoke comes out of the far end of the long hood, which in those cases is round.

                 --Randy

 

[ns3010]

Although my layout has yet to be built, it depends.

Passenger trains will run with the locomotive always facing the West, on the west end. The B end of every car will face the locomotive so that the HO passengers will have lighting, heating, and cooling in all cars. And the cab car will be on the east end, with the cab (A end) facing the East.

Freight trains will not matter (they will run both ways, although the short hood will be the designated front). I will be using Geeps and a Genset, so visibility will not be a major problem (besides, on a local, they will have to change direction anyways). I am also going to scratchbuild a shoving platform for long backup moves.
One exception to this- NS H-02 (local) will have the 3010 facing east, as that is how NS usually has it.

[richhotrain]

Most, if not all, of my diesels carry an F for forward on the frame, so I run them all that way.

Rich

[scubaterry]

I model the NYC and the NKP.  On my RR both get their checks signed by the same person so I can mix and match as I see fit.  My family has a history with both RR's hence the permanent merger.  I go long hood forward with NYC and NKP short hood forward that makes for some interesting lashups.

[Flashwave]

ns3010

Although my layout has yet to be built, it depends.

Passenger trains will run with the locomotive always facing the West, on the west end. The B end of every car will face the locomotive so that the HO passengers will have lighting, heating, and cooling in all cars. And the cab car will be on the east end, with the cab (A end) facing the East.

Good to see consistancy, but it really doesn't matter which way a coach is facing for electrical. What does matter is how you get the traps to the platform, which usually puts the B end next to the engine so that the trap is immediately at the platform instead of being 80ft away. But if your running Horizons/Comets and Amfleets with doors on either end,  that doesn't matter so much.

cv_acr

 

IVRW:

I dont model diesel, but I can tell you this about steam. In order to prevent rapid boiler cooling and spontaneous explosion, steam locomotives would point up the steep grade, regardless of direction of travel. This was to keep the water in the firebox to be heated up, rather than flowing into the front of the locomotive turning all the steam to water destroying the pressure and nullifying the brakes.

 

It has nothing to do with braking. If the firebox did not have water over it, it could cause the conditions for a boiler explosion.

That said, you need an extreme grade for that to be an issue. (Mt Washington cog railroad extreme) Most low water issues would simply be a case of the engine running out of water.

5.89% will do you sufficently. Another lesson the Madison leanred the hard way, they ran an engine boiler-down The Hill. (Only once) and the M.G.Bright slef destructed because the fireman didn't keep enough water on the crownsheet as they went up the hill. I'm pretty sure she was oriented the proper direction (Boiler up) and he jsut let ot get too dry. Again, only once.

Boiler explosions work as such that the water keeps the metal from reaching insane temperatures, like a buffer. Take the water out, and the crown sheet begins to heat like a firecracker. Water comes back into the picture, and is flash-boiled into steam at approxiamtely the speed of sound. Then steam, as steam is want to do, tries to expand. And when that happns, ain't no metal boiler, expecially one that is weakened by being hot an malliable like a forge, gonna stand in it's way. One explosion later, and your picking boiler parts out of the first three cars.

For me, Half-Moon ran them short-hood forward when bought new, and long hood if bought used and already setup that way. Also, Half-Moon tried a few steam engines going flat-hood forward, similar to the Espee. SO nyah! to al you stemers=long hood.  For Madison Railroad, the GP10 is short-hood, and the two SD7s are built Long Hood. From the pictures I've seen, 8588 was Long-Hood South, and 8589 was long-hood North, so when coupled together to mount the hill the were forward in both directions. hat sadi, I have seen a picture of 8589 coming down the Hill solo, still oriented LH-N, so the short hood led.  Thing I alwasy figured, if the longhood was leading, and the train got away, the first part to bury itself in the mud of the Ohio River is the nonpopulated long-hood, giving the crew reither shallow water or dry land to hop out on once the train settled. 

I also lettered some  engiens for my local club. One of them I screwed up, but it orves to be an interesting Oops, and one I think people won;t notice. According to the Fs on the engines, 3.5 SDs are running long hood forward. The other side of one of them has designated the short hood forward. So both camps can be happy.  

[floridaflyer]

Default setting on my GP is long hood forward, It's a PRR so is mirrors actual practice.

[BRAKIE]

Like most short lines it doesn't matter.

See?

 

[ns3010]

Flashwave

ns3010:

Although my layout has yet to be built, it depends.

Passenger trains will run with the locomotive always facing the West, on the west end. The B end of every car will face the locomotive so that the HO passengers will have lighting, heating, and cooling in all cars. And the cab car will be on the east end, with the cab (A end) facing the East.

 

Good to see consistancy, but it really doesn't matter which way a coach is facing for electrical. What does matter is how you get the traps to the platform, which usually puts the B end next to the engine so that the trap is immediately at the platform instead of being 80ft away. But if your running Horizons/Comets and Amfleets with doors on either end,  that doesn't matter so much.

Actually, with commuter equipment (i.e. Comets), the cars are designed for the B end to face the locomotive. The cars must all be facing the same direction for the doors to trainline. The plugs on one side of the car is HEP, and the other side is the trainline. If they were not facing the same direction, the cars would be able to open locally only.

For long(er) distance cars (such as Amfleets), this does not matter. The doors do not trainline, so there are HEP plugs on both sides of the car, and therefore can face either direction.

[steemtrayn]

ns3010

Actually, with commuter equipment (i.e. Comets), the cars are designed for the B end to face the locomotive. The cars must all be facing the same direction for the doors to trainline. The plugs on one side of the car is HEP, and the other side is the trainline. If they were not facing the same direction, the cars would be able to open locally only.

 

On Comets, the door control and PA wires run on one side, and traction (remote) controls on the other. HEP cables are on both sides.

[mononguy63]

I run my RS3's long hood forward like the prototype (ok, the prototype actually had RS2's)

Everything else typically runs short hood forward. Unless I choose to run them the other way, in which case they'd be long hood forward. Except the RS3's, which would then actually be short hood forward. It's CHAOS I tell you!

Jim

[ns3010]

steemtrayn

ns3010:

Actually, with commuter equipment (i.e. Comets), the cars are designed for the B end to face the locomotive. The cars must all be facing the same direction for the doors to trainline. The plugs on one side of the car is HEP, and the other side is the trainline. If they were not facing the same direction, the cars would be able to open locally only.

 

 

On Comets, the door control and PA wires run on one side, and traction (remote) controls on the other. HEP cables are on both sides.

You're right, my mistake.

On cars, the HEP is on both sides, trainline is on one, and remote cab controls (throttle, etc.) is on the other. Here, HEP is white, and trainline and controls are black and orange (not sure which is which):
http://ns3010.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1443891

On locomotives, HEP, trainline, and controls are all on both sides (two white, one black, and one orange per side):
http://ns3010.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2227493

No matter which way the car is facing, HEP always works. Trainline and controls only work if all cars face the same direction, as the cables cannot be crossed above or below the coupler.

[AltonFan]

I (intend to) model the early transition era, and my road switcher fleet is primarily ALCO, so it's long hoods forward, even on the geeps. 

However, I just might run my cab units blunt end forward, just to be contrary...

[Packer]

Varies. EX-GN locos (up to GP20 and SD9) are long-hood foward, as were some RS3s. There may have been a few other locos to run long-hood foward. But other than that SHort-hood foward.

My 2 high-hood GP20s and my RS3 are long-hood foward

[Colorado_Mac]

Whichever way I want to go...

[UncBob]

Long hood for the ME&O RS3