Steam Locomotive MU'ed to an F-40 Diesel on the Grand Canyon RR

[Anonymous]

I had the opportunity to ride the Grand Canyon Railway this past week. What I did not expect to see was that they had an MU connection between their steam locomotive and their ex-Amtrak F-40-PH, GCR 239. I asked one of the GCR trainmen about that, and he indicated that the steam locomotive was equipped with a second control stand (or set of controls) that was directly wired in to the MU lines.

Anyone familiar with any other similar MU arrangements? This seems quite odd to me as I had never heard of a steam locomotive being MU'ed to a diesel before.

[Kurn]

Ross Rowland was gonna do that to 614 awhile back........

[Overmod]

One of the earliest diesel "MU" controllers I remember hearing about was applied to Clinchfield 4-6-0 #1 so it could control an F-unit booster. Described in Trains rather extensively around the time Sam Ervin was embroiled in the Watergate prosecution.

I don't recall any of these systems being connected to the steam-locomotive controls; they're just control-stand 'repeaters.' That means that you don't have true steam-to-diesel "MU" -- just the equivalent of cab-car control so you don't need a separate crew in the helpers.

I'd be interested to see the potential application of DPU technology to steam-locomotive MU control, perhaps with strain gages attached to the steam locomotive's drawbar. I'd think the recent developments in "main line" remote locomotive control would be suitable for 'portable' use in steam-locomotive cabs, too (which cuts down the dedicated money required for a 'special' and nonprototypical installation on a locomotive if the railroad doing the 'hosting' uses that sort of system...)

Playing devil's advocate (tongue-in-cheek, so don't razz me!) it's sure easy to fire your steam locomotive up to a lazy 75psi or so, just enough to run the pumps and ancillaries and to supply enough steam to the cylinders to keep the fire stable and to the hydrostatic lubricator to keep things slippery, and let the diesel do most of the pulling (and independent/dynamic braking)... hmmm, might even be able to run some of the steam locomotives otherwise requiring very expensive FRA class repairs with NO actual boiler pressure, but some sound and smoke effects....

[BR60103]

When the CPR Royal Hudson came east in the 70s, it had MU controls for a couple of diesels that were added for backup. I think it still managed to drag them through the Rockies and across the prairies. Don't think CP's latest Hudson had any helpers.