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I was watching the video on the Grand Canyon RR. They double headed a small and medium engine.  Have any of you operated a double headed steam train?  Is there a "lead" engineer/locomotive?  How much throttle do you give.  Do you operate by feel? Brakes, how would that be handled? Before and after radio?  Thanks for your stories on this. 

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Originally Posted by wb47:

I was watching the video on the Grand Canyon RR. They double headed a small and medium engine.  Have any of you operated a double headed steam train? 

 

Yes, a number of times.

 

Is there a "lead" engineer/locomotive?

 

Yes, of course the locomotive in the front is the "lead" and that Engineer controls train speed and the brakes.

 

  How much throttle do you give. 

 

The lead Engineer may or may not be at full throttle, and the Engineer of the second locomotive generally uses only enough throttle to assist in maintaing train speed. On steep grades, both locomotives would be a full throttle, in order to main train speed.

 

Do you operate by feel?

 

Yes, sort of, but knowledge of the territory one is operating over is the most important factor.

 

Brakes, how would that be handled?

 

ONLY the lead Engineer has control of the train brakes, i.e. the trailing locomotive/locomotives have their train brake valve cut out.

 

Before and after radio? 

 

Same answer, either way.

 

Thanks for your stories on this. 

 

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