Facing direction of multible engines

Evidently when this train was ready to go, the only power available was three headed the same direction. However, that's not a big deal if it is an over-the-road train and not a local. With three units, it's not likely to be a local.

When a train arrives at a major terminal, the engines usually go to the locomotive servicing facility. There the power will be refueled, serviced and re-combined as needed for the outbound trains.

Yes, they still turn diesels today as needed, but often they are turned to equalize wheel wear more than anything else.

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Yes, they still turn diesels today as needed, but often they are turned to equalize wheel wear more than anything else.

Huh? Maybe on some tourist RR. Not around here.
Rich,
Do you turn your propeller blades around to equalize wear?

My regional/short line background is showing in my "wheel wear" comment.

When I was superintendent for the Ohio Central RR in Youngstown, Ohio, we ran a 35-mile line south to Darlington, PA that had more and sharper left-hand curves going south than right-hand curves. We typically assigned the same four units to these trains. It took four units because the loads went south and right out of the yard we had a 2-mile long, 2% grade. Further south was another 5-mile long, 1.6% grade.

After we had been running this line for several months we began to notice uneven flange wear on the units assigned to these trains. We figured that it was due to the preponderance of left hand curves on this line. We turned the whole set of power on a nearby wye, and after several more months the flange wear evened out.

Big Jim, you are right in that on the big Class 1 railroads where you work there would be no need to turn engines to equalize wheel wear.

Rich - Do you know how Jacobsen's collection & facility are coming along, in the aftermath of the sale of OC to Genesee & Wyoming?

quote:

Originally posted by OGR Webmaster:
My regional/short line background is showing in my "wheel wear" comment.

When I was superintendent for the Ohio Central RR in Youngstown, Ohio, we ran a 35-mile line south to Darlington, PA that had more and sharper left-hand curves going south than right-hand curves. We typically assigned the same four units to these trains. It took four units because the loads went south and right out of the yard we had a 2-mile long, 2% grade. Further south was another 5-mile long, 1.6% grade.

After we had been running this line for several months we began to notice uneven flange wear on the units assigned to these trains. We figured that it was due to the preponderance of left hand curves on this line. We turned the whole set of power on a nearby wye, and after several more months the flange wear evened out.

Big Jim, you are right in that on the big Class 1 railroads where you work there would be no need to turn engines to equalize wheel wear.

Dick: See Age Of Steam Roundhouse

Wow...talk about a thread hijack...

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Originally posted by OGR Webmaster:
Wow...talk about a thread hijack...

Rich: I was in a rush when I posted and didn't see I quoted the entire previous post again - Sorry! Thanks for clearing it up.

No worries, SJC.

Now that I have a bit more time, I can answer your question Dick, although this was a very slick thread hijack!

My only involvement with Jerry Jacobson and the Age of Steam Roundhouse is to manage and fly his aircraft for him and maintain the Age of Steam web site. I have only been to the roundhouse site once, and that was over a year ago. I have been OVER the site a few times to take the aerial photos, but I've only been there on the ground once. I live almost two hours away from the site and I rarely get down that way.

I'm not involved at all in the planning for future steam operations. I'm not even sure if there will BE any future steam operations on the Ohio Central. I simply don't know. I've got my hands full planning NKP 765's operations, and this year we are going to be busy. (No, I can't say where yet.)

Now...can we get back to the original subject of this thread?

Always remember if not mentioned )that if a railroad operates a return train,say a 128 west and a 129 east, it's not always certain the same power will even go back on the returning train symbol train.

I know class 1's have the large rosters with several locomotives.But I see the same units running around on different trains all the time here on the NS.I've seen the same consist of units going east on a freight one day and a few days later had them on a coal drag.You just never know.

And it's all up to the power desk of each railroad where units are assigned also.

I see mainly all amtrack diesels facing forward. Do they do that for a reason other than that is the way they were available. 2 or more engines obviously.

That's the way they were available.

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Originally posted by OGR Webmaster:
That's the way they were available.

Or if the lead one failed enroute, they could take it off the head end and still have one headed the right way to continue the trip.

EdKing

Actually, there were documented savings from turning engines. From the 1940's until the lTE 1950'S, Santa Fe passenger F3 and F7 units were kept in numeric A-B-B-A OR A-B-B consists, and were turned on the Redondo Jct. wye at Los Angeles every trip. Obviously, the bobtails had to be turned, but the 4-unit rednoses were turned specifically for the purpose of equalizing wheel wear. This was in an era when the Chief Clerk issued you ONE No. 3 pencil and would not issue you another unless you turned in a stub too short to use (even in a pencil extender, if you were lucky enough to be able to have one). The savings were not large, but were measurable and controllable, since the numeric locomotive sets were never broken up until 1957 or '58. 200 Class F7 units also were turned at San Bernardino and Los Angeles.

Tommy Willis, the daylight Roundhouse Foreman at San Bernardino when I was a boy railroader, had been the person in charge of keeping track of this. Later, he scheduled all the transcontinental passenger engines so that they wound up at Barstow in time for their monthly inspection.

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Originally posted by ironlake2:
I see mainly all amtrack diesels facing forward. Do they do that for a reason other than that is the way they were available. 2 or more engines obviously.

Exceptions occur. North of New Haven the Vermonter has engines on each end facing "forward" to handle the reversing at Palmer. Mass.