CNJ GP40P Locomotive Photos

Hello,

I'm doing a report on NJ Transit Locomotives form NJ Transit's Early Days to now and I was looking at a color photograph of CNJ GP40P #3671 and I noticed the Controls in the Locomotive cab are reversed. Did they do this with all of the CNJ GP40P Locomotives? Are there controls facing the other direction?


If anyone has any answers please let me know.

Eric

Eric Kreszl wrote:Hello,

I'm doing a report on NJ Transit Locomotives form NJ Transit's Early Days to now and I was looking at a color photograph of CNJ GP40P #3671 and I noticed the Controls in the Locomotive cab are reversed. Did they do this with all of the CNJ GP40P Locomotives? Are there controls facing the other direction?


If anyone has any answers please let me know.

Eric

I believe that the GP40Ps (and I think the GP40PHs) had dual control stands, so that they could be operated either short hood- or long hood-forward. I read somewhere on this forum that when NJT sent the units out for rebuilds as GP40PH-2s, the cab was redone with just one control stand.

Actually, lots of roads used dual stands, in passenger locos. (hood units) This enables them to be run, without turning, and have the engineer on the platform side. GP-7's were the same. PRSL GP-38's, also dual stands. As radios replaced hand signals, and sufficient numbers of cab cars were added to the roster, the odds of having a "backwards" engine diminished, and the expense of maintianing dual stands outweighed it's intended usefullness. I ran a train, on the Gladstone Branch, in 1986, with a GP-7, with dual stands, and the stand on the "right" side was inoperative, mandating the use of the one, on the "wrong" side, for an eastbound run, to Summit. Look for the conversions to likely occur at the same time as the removal of steam generator equipment, and/or adding a HEP to the loco as a "stand-alone" system, instead of an engine operated one.

The GP-40P's were built with 2 control stands so the engine wouldn't have to turned in places like Raritan which had no turning facilities. In the early 1990's NJT did have them rebuilt with single control stands but 2 of them did retain dual stands but I have no idea if those 2 units still have them today.