Steering Wheel in a Locomotive????

[Rustyrex]

I was recently viewing Railpictures.net and came across a PKP Polish State Railways ET40-04. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=76097

Having been brought up with U.S. Railroading and having worked for U.S. Railroads, can someone please explain the purpose of a Locomotive Steering wheel????[?][?][?]

[Anonymous]

My guess is a hand brake. But I bet someone out there knows for sure. [8D]

[csxengineer98]

the wheel is the throttle...turn it one way and you go faster..turn it the other way and you slow down..i have seen the same set up on other european electic locomotives...in fact i think the cab of the TGV is set up the same way
csx engineer

[mvlandsw]

ALCO yard switchers had the hand brake on a verticle stand at the rear of the cab. New trainman were told that they had to steer the engine through the yard switches and were praised for learning the job quickly when the engine followed the desired route.

[edblysard]

CSX has it...thats the throttle...
See the train brake and independent brake on the right, and the reverser on the left, just under the wheel....turn the wheel one way to speed up, the other to slow down.

Besides...it a polish locomotive...why not use a steering wheel for a throttle?[:D]

Ed

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard


Besides...it a polish locomotive...why not use a steering wheel for a throttle?[:D]

Ed

lol..i was going to say it... but i thought..na...way to easy....lol
csx engineer

[coborn35]

Alot of locomotives also have wheels like that in the back of the cab for hand brakes.

[jeaton]

Dangerous feature. Way too comfortable for at nap time.

[dknelson]

Actually I think it may be the brake. If you see the old Burt Lancaster movie The Train feturing French steam of the 1930s and before during WWII, I recall a scene where he needs to stop a steam locomotive in the tunnel (it was being strafed by Allied planes) and he turns a wheel to do so. Just barely stops with the engine nose at the far tunnel entrance -- the plane flies off.
Maybe my memory is playing tricks. I do know that that is one of the really great railroad themed movies of all time with tremendous scenes of steam and some shocking wrecks (the movie makers were permitted to destroy a French rail yard that was being abandoned).
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

Dave

Your memory is just fine. Within the last year someone was telling me about the same movie. However, it is my memory which is no so good, I don't remember the name of the movie. [8] [B)] [:0] [V]

[chad thomas]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

Actually I think it may be the brake. If you see the old Burt Lancaster movie The Train feturing French steam of the 1930s and before during WWII, I recall a scene where he needs to stop a steam locomotive in the tunnel (it was being strafed by Allied planes) and he turns a wheel to do so. Just barely stops with the engine nose at the far tunnel entrance -- the plane flies off.
Maybe my memory is playing tricks. I do know that that is one of the really great railroad themed movies of all time with tremendous scenes of steam and some shocking wrecks (the movie makers were permitted to destroy a French rail yard that was being abandoned).
Dave Nelson

As if Hollywood ever got anything right.

[rvos1979]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

Actually I think it may be the brake. If you see the old Burt Lancaster movie The Train feturing French steam of the 1930s and before during WWII, I recall a scene where he needs to stop a steam locomotive in the tunnel (it was being strafed by Allied planes) and he turns a wheel to do so. Just barely stops with the engine nose at the far tunnel entrance -- the plane flies off.
Maybe my memory is playing tricks. I do know that that is one of the really great railroad themed movies of all time with tremendous scenes of steam and some shocking wrecks (the movie makers were permitted to destroy a French rail yard that was being abandoned).
Dave Nelson

I agree, it is a great movie, was about the French Resistance stopping a german train full of art from leaving the country. I'm not sure if it was a handbrake or a screw-operated reverser, I'll have to watch the tape again sometime.

Randy

[Modelcar]

....Before reading the thoughts of the real railroaders I was ready to post of the wheel being a throttle and one can see the red lever for the brake control....Now all it needs is a center air bag. Maybe that's for the next model. Turn signals too.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson

Actually I think it may be the brake. If you see the old Burt Lancaster movie The Train feturing French steam of the 1930s and before during WWII, I recall a scene where he needs to stop a steam locomotive in the tunnel (it was being strafed by Allied planes) and he turns a wheel to do so. Just barely stops with the engine nose at the far tunnel entrance -- the plane flies off.
Maybe my memory is playing tricks. I do know that that is one of the really great railroad themed movies of all time with tremendous scenes of steam and some shocking wrecks (the movie makers were permitted to destroy a French rail yard that was being abandoned).
Dave Nelson

Actually that big wheel in the French loco was the reversing mechanism. Turn the wheel one way, and the steam flow moves the loco forward, turn it the other way for reverse, set it in the middle for no steam flow. There is a great view of this in the French film "La Bete Humaine" about a loco engineer goaded into murder, lots of great in the cab scenes. In "The Train" he turns the wheel to reverse the loco and stop before reaching the other end of the tunnel.

As for the wheel in the photo, how else do you think the enginner makes it round all those curves[:D]

[zardoz]

Wasn't the movie "Von Ryan's Express?


Modelcar: why bother with turn signals? Hardly anyone uses them, anyway. Air bag might be nice, if it could be inflated on demand (would make a great pillow for those long naps waiting in the siding.

[SALfan]

"Von Ryan's Express" was another movie altogether. "The Train" was much better, IMHO.

[Hugh Jampton]

Maybe that woman who wanted the tram to swerve arund her parked car has seen this pic.

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hugh Jampton

Maybe that woman who wanted the tram to swerve arund her parked car has seen this pic.

Hope those grade crossing safety fanatics don't see that - they'll want steering wheels installed on ALL locomotives....

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rustyrex

I was recently viewing Railpictures.net and came across a PKP Polish State Railways ET40-04. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=76097

That is not a steering wheel. I think that in american terminology it would be called "shunting circuits" - eg - system to switch traction motors between several serial/parallel configurations and in the same time controlling resistances that control speed of the loco.

Basicly it can be considered throttle, but also - it is vital for starting heavy trains...

QUOTE: originally posted by edblysardBesides...it a polish locomotive...why not use a steering wheel for a throttle?

Cough, cough. Nasty cold, nasty I tell ya...

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

Dangerous feature. Way too comfortable for at nap time.

All polish locomotives are equipped with "dead man's switch". Fail to press it, within 10 seconds of its activation and it sends the train into emergency. Besides - in civilised countries engineers are consdiered humans, not machines like in the US. This includes actual _rest_.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

CSX has it...thats the throttle...
See the train brake and independent brake on the right, and the reverser on the left, just under the wheel....turn the wheel one way to speed up, the other to slow down.

Besides...it a polish locomotive...why not use a steering wheel for a throttle?[:D]

Ed

FOFLMAO...

Exactly Ed.

Actually, it IS a steering wheel. When you get to the bad track you just drive around it...

LOL...

LC

[Modelcar]

...If it's cold and snowy out your conductor doesn't need to go out in the mess and through the switch to make that siding....just steer it right in there......

[locomutt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

...If it's cold and snowy out your conductor doesn't need to go out in the mess and through the switch to make that siding....just steer it right in there......

Doesn't 'somebody' have to 'throw' it first ??
Or is it "remote controlled" ???

[dehusman]

Anybody remember the James Coburn "Our Man Flint" movies. In one of them he ends up on a train with a steering wheel. I thought is was hokey, but now I guess it was just a bad imitation of a European locomotive.

Dave H.

[Rustyrex]

Well I guess the Polish are really ahead of us in this respect [:D] Imagine the possibilites here:
Instead of having the hassle of the Wye or Turntable you just turn the Ol' girl around[:o)]

When making a cut 35 cars deep you just turn around, go back, and get that "Block of Galesburgs outta the way"[:p]

Throw the hassle of stopping and lining a switch that's against you out the window, just go around it!!![:0]

Instead of a line 9 in a track warrent reading "Do Not foul Limits ahead of _______________ can now be changed to read "Steer Clear of ___________________(insert identifier here [:p])

Getting tired of the nagging of the Fort Worth Dispatcher and his endless red blocks????, Just turn to the right when you get to the crossing and take that 4 mile shortcut down US 57 before he even realizes "you're off the board" [:p]

The possbilities are endless here folks!! I'm surprised the unions haven't jumped all over this one yet[^]

[tatans]

A steering wheel in a locomotive? Poland? I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole !

[Anonymous]

I really don't find this thread particularily funny...

[martin.knoepfel]

The Polish Railways run on 3kV DC, if this engine is not diesel. Do they need serial-parallel-switching like AC-engines would need?

[Anonymous]

ET40 is the latest buzz of railroad technology of the 50ties. AC locos of that time were tap changing transformer ones with comutator ac motors.

DC locos of that time all used serial-parallel grouping to get desired speed/tractive effort.

For example - you may start with 4 motors in parallel and end with all 4 in serial - with as many as 31 positions inbetween (depending on resistances added to the circuit to control speed).

[espeefoamer]

Steering wheels on locomotives. What will they think of next[:o)]!