Hi. Here's another question I am embarrassed to ask but here goes.
Just got the WBB Norfolk Southern GP-9 from Pat's Trains this week, and it's very nice and looks great. Thanks Pat!
My 10 year old thought the back end was the front end and was basically running it in reverse around the layout pulling about half a dozen tankers. Obviously I wouldn't run my car, boat, or lawn mower in reverse for an extended period of time, but does that same logic apply to an O Gauge train engine?
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Nofrolk & Western and several other roads had Geeps set up for long hood first operartion.
Some roads also had dual controls so they could be easily operated in either orientation.
Rusty
There's no difference in running in either direction as far as any harm to the locomotive is concerned.
There's no difference in running in either direction as far as any harm to the locomotive is concerned.
Thanks. Just wanted to make sure we weren't going to burn anything up!!
It don't matter which direction you run the model engine in.
Prototypical running the Pennsy used the long hood to the front, cab in the back, something about visibility issue.
Lee F.
Eastern railroads typically ran first generation hood diesels long hood forward. This was done for grade crossing protection. Visibility was not an issue as the rights of ways were set up for steam engines and the fireman could watch the left side. When the locomotive builders offered low short hoods they changed to running short hood first. Some railroads notably Southern Ry and Norfolk and Western ordered engines with high short hoods and continued to run long hood first.
Eastern railroads typically ran first generation hood diesels long hood forward. This was done for grade crossing protection. Visibility was not an issue as the rights of ways were set up for steam engines and the fireman could watch the left side. When the locomotive builders offered low short hoods they changed to running short hood first. Some railroads notably Southern Ry and Norfolk and Western ordered engines with high short hoods and continued to run long hood first.
A little info, not all eastern railroads ran long hood forward, example Reading Lines ran short hood forward.
Pennsy ran long hood forward, it was part of their S.O.P.
Lee F.
Somebody once told me that running the gears in both directions was good because it kept the grease fresh on the gear. I don't know if it was true or not but I used to reverse engines all the time for fun. Sometimes hood first, sometimes cab first.
With today's engines you can't do that because the engineer would be facing backwards half the time. So couldn't you make it so that the engineer turned around and always faced forward?
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