Quentin
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QUOTE: Originally posted by erikthered It's probably because platforms and loading docks were built to the right side of the rails. An engineer would have a pretty rough time gauging where to stop if he's on the far side of the train from the platform. Just a guess.... Erik[banghead]
QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C But our early locomotives came from England, where they must also have driven on the right although their signals were on the left as are ours. So it must go back to the 1830s in the very beginning.
QUOTE: I thought I might check my facts on Australian steam locomotives, and I find that the NSW Vulcan Foundry "H" class 4-4-0 of 1887 was right hand drive, but the 1892 Beyer Peacock "P" class 4-6-0 of 1892 was built as left hand drive. This was a bit earlier than I had indicated. Baldwin locomotives purchased about this time for use in NSW were right hand drive, however. As to British locomotives, the side may have varied from one railway to another, but the London and North Eastern Railway class A1, including the well known 4472 "Flying Scotsman" were initially built as right hand drive. So were the other LNER contemporary "pacific" type locomotives, the class A2 designed by Sir Vincent Raven, suggesting that both the Great Northern and North Eastern railways used right hand drive at the time of the grouping in 1923. It appears that the later Gresley locomotives of class A3, with higher pressure boilers, were built with left hand drive from about 1928. However, some locomotives built with right hand drive retained this feature until at least 1951, following nationalization of British Railways, even if they had been rebuilt with the higher pressure boilers. "Flying Scotsman" had been rebuilt before its withdrawal for preservation, and had left hand drive during its visit to the USA.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
QUOTE: Originally posted by kenneo For just grenade throwing reasons, here is something else where left is right and right is left. French locomotives have always been run with the controls on the left. I can't remember the movie's name, but it was made about 1950 or so about the saving of the French museum paintings. They used old - and I mean OLD in 1950, 10-wheelers, beautiful machines, for the movie and wrecked all but one in rear-enders or one head-on. The cab scenes were done by mounting a camera to the outside of a real locomotive and then having the actors operate the locomotive.
QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45 Hey Guys! Maybe this question is a "little ringer". Most of you likely saw the 1970s version of the hit movie "The Silver Streak" with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Did any of you notice that the engineer is driving the EMD F unit, from the LEFT SIDE? You could see the control stand also. I wondered about this as of course the so called "AMROAD" train is actually a CANADIAN PACIFIC passenger train. Unless I'm mistaken, as far as I've seen CP and CN units are operated from the right side. Any thoughts on this??
QUOTE: Originally posted by Hugh Jampton It's another one of these which colour is the color things isn't it. In the UK they run on the left, and any steam engine I've ever worked on has had the drivers controls on the left, and so do multiple units (Budd car type things) where there is an interconnecting gangway. I was in the National Railway Museum last week and I am sure that The Rocket was driven from the left hand side as well.
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