Hardtail vs Trailing Truck

The ride depends more on the condition of the track.  It can be a rough ride even in a diesel on poor track.  Plus, a trailing truck is there more to support the weight of a large firebox rather than crew comfort.

Speed can be a factor, also.  My experience is with IRM's Russian Decapod.  It rides pretty well at 25-30 mph.  At 55 mph, it's hold on to anything you can grab.

Rusty

That makes sense. I see the locomotives pitch on the old worn tracks of the Youngstown and Southeastern but I was never sure how much of that is transferred into the cab. I wasn't sure if it was smooth bumps like in an old Cadillac or jarring bumps.

On the topic of locomotive ride quality:

• The ride quality of a locomotive has never been important to the designers and builders, nor to the railroad Mechanical Department.  Tractive effort and firebox design were important.
• Steam locomotives without trailing trucks produced noticeably rougher ride qualities, according to the steam men I worked with.  When I started, ALL the Engineers had been steam men, and they all said this about Santa Fe's 2-8-0's.
• Any locomotive rides best when fresh from having been shopped.  It gets worse as miles are accrued.
• No locomotive provides as smooth a ride as a passenger car.  They are not dampened against track irregularities in the same way.  See the first bullet point.

It's interesting that this was the case. I would have expected a cushioned ride in the cab to be a byproduct of a cushioned ride for the boiler. I know (or I think) boilers are cast iron and are hefty but I still would expected softening the ride for a boiler to be important.

Or are steam engines so big that a cushioned boiler ride doesn't produce a cushioned cab ride?

I can get up close and personal with a steam engine at the fair grounds here. I guess I should spend some time around the wheels studying it instead of being pumped about going up in the cab. I thought the novelty of being in the cab would wear off after over 20 years but I still dig it haha

@BillYo414 posted:

It's interesting that this was the case. I would have expected a cushioned ride in the cab to be a byproduct of a cushioned ride for the boiler. I know (or I think) boilers are cast iron and are hefty but I still would expected softening the ride for a boiler to be important.

Boilers are NOT "cast iron", but fabricated out of steel plate, rolled the the diameter specifications of the boiler barrel.

Or are steam engines so big that a cushioned boiler ride doesn't produce a cushioned cab ride?

That sort of sums it up. Again, it is all dependent on the quality of the track structure.

I can get up close and personal with a steam engine at the fair grounds here. I guess I should spend some time around the wheels studying it instead of being pumped about going up in the cab. I thought the novelty of being in the cab would wear off after over 20 years but I still dig it haha

@Hot Water ah ok. I wasn't sure. Despite the wide range of things I have to know for my job, boilers are not on the list. I just know to keep them filled.

It's probably hard as heck on equipment but I'm always fascinated to watch tons and tons of train sway about on crappy tracks.

I’ve never ridden in any sort of locomotive, but I’ve driven medium size straight trucks.  Those often have air ride seats for the reasons stated above.  The suspension is for the load and/or weight of the vehicle, not comfort.  Semi-trucks often have cabs that ride on air suspension as well.  

Did they ever use air ride for the engineers seat, or for the cab on locomotives?

I can't answer that @rplst8 but I can say that seats in the locomotive I can go see have some seriously thick padding. Kind of wish I had a couch made of whatever it's made of!

@BillYo414 posted:

It's interesting that this was the case. I would have expected a cushioned ride in the cab to be a byproduct of a cushioned ride for the boiler.

Boilers are firmly attached to the locomotive frame by the cylinders and firebox, there is no "cushioning."  The only cushioning is in the suspension of the frame on the drivers axles.

Rusty