Aha! There was an answer.

For some reason many of you seem to think there is some kind of “magic” or “fine art” involved in running an engine in helper service. You seem to think that the pushing effort has to be very finely controlled lest you shove the train off the rails. That just isn’t how it works.

I can sum up a helper engineer’s instructions in one sentence.

”Put ‘er in number 8 (full throttle) and hang on.”

Done.

I have personally followed these simple instructions many, many times.

@Rich Melvin posted:

For some reason many of you seem to think there is some kind of “magic” or “fine art” involved in running an engine in helper service. You seem to think that the pushing effort has to be very finely controlled lest you shove the train off the rails. That just isn’t how it works.

I can sum up a helper engineer’s instructions in one sentence.

”Put ‘er in number 8 (full throttle) and hang on.”

Done.

I have personally followed these simple instructions many, many times.

When running more than one GG-1 on a long passenger train it was go go go.

@ThatGuy posted:

When running more than one GG-1 on a long passenger train it was go go go.

Accept, that would have been sort of "double-heading", i.e. MUed together, and NOT "helper service". Growing up in New Jersey during the 1940s and 1950s, I saw lots of double GG-1 power freight and passenger trains through Elisabeth, NJ, where one could stand on the overhead PRR station platform, with the four track Jersey Central main line below. Lots and LOTS of trains on both railroads.

@Hot Water posted:

Accept, that would have been sort of "double-heading", i.e. MUed together, and NOT "helper service". Growing up in New Jersey during the 1940s and 1950s, I saw lots of double GG-1 power freight and passenger trains through Elisabeth, NJ, where one could stand on the overhead PRR station platform, with the four track Jersey Central main line below. Lots and LOTS of trains on both railroads.

Very true, except some G’s could not MU with each other and required a second crew. This was because in some rebuilds either after and accident or other issue not all controls got put back. Like I have said in a previous post I had one G with a control stand out of an F unit. But you are correct if all things are in place.

@Rich Melvin posted:

For some reason many of you seem to think there is some kind of “magic” or “fine art” involved in running an engine in helper service. You seem to think that the pushing effort has to be very finely controlled lest you shove the train off the rails. That just isn’t how it works.

I can sum up a helper engineer’s instructions in one sentence.

”Put ‘er in number 8 (full throttle) and hang on.”

Done.

I have personally followed these simple instructions many, many times.

Well Rich,
Unless you are going straight uphill, your "Ham-fisted" analogy is mostly wrong! Granted that you are being a bit "tongue in cheek", your statement can be taken the wrong way by those who don't know anything about running a train.

Sure, pushing a train up a short grade doesn't require much thinking.
However, pushing a train over a 134 mile district with every kind of terrain imaginable does require a "fine art". One has to remember that there is someone on the headend that must control the speed of the train through curves and up and down hills along with complying with signal indications.
That train, because it has a pusher to begin with, has twice the tonnage of a normal train. That means that going downhill, the headend has to contend with not only twice the tonnage, but also the power of the pusher! Which means that the engineer on the head end doesn't need a box of rocks pushing in the eighth notch going downhill.
A  pusher engineer should never use much more power than what it takes to help maintain the speed of the train for the location. Oh sure, there are those clowns that say "I've got the 'big handle' up here to control that". That person is a fool! And, burning up brake shoes it is not the proper way to run a double train and it will get you in trouble fast!

"lest you shove the train off the rails."
Let's just say that having this happen is few and far between. Yet, it does happen. We had a Trainmaster that had ask the pusher man if he could run. The engines were coupled behind the cab as it was just a short pushing move. As the train going very slow through the terminal, the Trainmaster was pushing too hard and shoved the caboose off of the rails going through the switch complex. So, YES, it can happen...when someone is using their head for a hat rack!