cab position

[dlund]

Hi, 

I'm curious as to why some locomotives have the cab in the back while others have it in the front.

It seems like it would be much easier to drive if the cab is in the front.  

Thanks for any help. 

 

dlund 

[jimrice4449]

It affords greater crew protection in the event of a collision.  In the early years of the GP it was much more prevalent than now, being practiced by GN, NYC, PRR, N&W,  Southern and, probably, others.   The advent of the chopped nose led it's being dropped by all but NS.

[dlund]

Thanks for the response.

 

dlund 

[tatans]

Steam or diesel ??? The reason cabs were at the back of steam locos was to feed coal to the firebed, the idea of a long boiler out front was never a safety factor it was a functional boiler. Cabs up front on diesels are for visibilty reasons.

[Anonymous]

If you're talking about cab forwards, which were steam locomotives with the cab on the front, this was to keep the smoke from filling the cab through the many tunnels in the area.

[cprted]

The cab-forward development by SP was primarily for improved visibility. Though not-so-much on the minds of designers, railroaders did like the idea that if they hit something in a standard cab steam loco, or a long hood diesel, there was a lot of steel between them and the impact. On straight-flat track, the visibility from the cab of a steamer isn't too bad. Throw some tight curves into the mix and it is frightening just how little you can see.