"F" on engines

I have noticed that on all engines on the frame a uppercase F is painted. I have always wondered what this meant. Does it just signify the front of the engine or something else?

By FRA rule one side has to be designated as F(front) end, maybe its obvious on most engines whats the front , but you can imagine the confusion on a RDC or GE 44 tonner.
so one end gets the F so reporting of defects , directiuons etc are all uniform.

PART 229_RAILROAD LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY STANDARDS--Table of Contents

Subpart A_General

Sec. 229.11 Locomotive identification.

(a) The letter ``F'' shall be legibly shown on each side of every
locomotive near the end which for identification purposes will be known
as the front end.
(b) The locomotive number shall be displayed in clearly legible
numbers on each side of each locomotive.

Yup, even GG-1's had that on their front ends. The front end was the end that was opposite the chimney on the roof for the exhaust of the steam boiler.

I guess it makes sense for a double cabbed or center cabbed engine. But now my amnswer is confirmed. But it seems weird that it is needed on like a Funit or single cabbed unit.

It does not seem so weird when you consider that early Geeps were produced with either long-hood front OR short-hood front depending on the customer's specifications. It can get confusing when there is one of each in the consist, which years ago was common on big roads and even today can happen on some shortlines. The letter "F" determines the appropriate hand signals to be given to the engineer. (It's easier when using radios - "Take 'em west" - and it's up to the engineer to figure what way he should move )

Until relatively recently, Norfolk Southern ordered all their road diesels set up with the long hood as the front, even on modern models like the B32-8, C39-8, GP59, SD50 and SD60 that had low short hoods. Then they changed their practice so the GP60s, SD70s, C40-8s, and C40-9s had the low short hood as the front. So you can see how things could get confusing if the front isn't labeled, especially when locomotives visit other railroads.

Why would you order the long hood forward?

The typical reason given is that having the long hood in front provides more protection for the crew in the event of a collision. I think it also has a lot to do with tradition. Early road switchers were developed from end-cab switchers, and since on an end-cab switcher the hood end with the prime mover under it is in the front, road switchers were the same way. Visisbilty wasn't much of a concern since crews were used to having the boiler of a steam locomotive to look down. A lot of Alcos and Baldwins and some FMs were set up this way, as were some EMDs; Great Northern was long hood forward up through the GP20s, and Union Pacific's GP7s and SD7s were long hood forward. Eventually the tradeoff was made by most roads to get better visibility by giving up the crash protection. Norfolk & Western and Southern were the two main roads that still ran long hood forward in the 60s and 70s, and when they merged NS continued it. Penn Central had a president who came from the Southern at one point, and during his tenure PC ordered long-hood forward U23Bs despite it not being PC's traditional practice, probably just because that's the way the Southern did it and to him short hood forward seemed wrong. In those days, the long hood forward diesels all had high short hoods, but as most railroads switched to low short hoods, the builders stopped offereing high hoods, and while they probably would have built them if NS paid more for them, NS probably didn't see a good reason for the extra cost and just bought low hood units and ran them long hood forward. I'm sure the crews started noticing the improved visibility and wanted to run the low hood units short hood forward and that led to NS finally switching. NS was also a holdout in the switch to wide cab units.

Southern claimed "log trucks" were the reason for running hammerhead. Following steam traditions, then having crew agreements for collision protection, long hood forward on the entire fleet was a NW/SOU oddity. Alco was a big builder of long hood forward locos. (most RS-1 through 3 series, comes to mind, as well as the RS-11) Lot's of those early Geeps, too. Once the noses started coming "chopped" from the builders, the front became the short end. BTW, those "wide cabs" are just as wide, and just as long, as the older cabs. "Wide nose" might be more accurate a description........

The "front" is very important while switching, when a conductor tells the engineer to go ahead or back, it is in reference to which way the engine is facing, not where the engine is on the train. Example would be a single GP38 local, "F" front facing the cars (train). The conductor calls for the engineer to come ahead 5 cars, the engineer will shove the cars (train) the direction the engine is facing. So the "F" is a required safety feature for designating engine movements.

Three Norfolk & Western SD45's, all running forward:











One of the coolest lashups I ever saw!

Scot

There are odd cases where railroads chopped the short hood but didn't reverse the control stand and the loco remained long hood "forward."

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 322&nseq=6

some units had 2 sets of cab controls in the cab even thow they had an F marker on one end or the outher.

Even MU's have a "F" label. For some reason, the new South Shore 300-series MU's have their blind (no cab) end as "F". Go figure.

All of SEPTAs MU fleet has the 'F' on the hand brake 'B' end. Until the SL-IV married pairs were delivered to the PC and Reading in 1974-76 the 'A' end (pantograph) was the 'F' end. Also the traction motors and axles/gear units were counted from the 'A' end. The wheels were counted L1,R1 ect. from F to R end in railroad fashion for locomotives. The pan being in the middle of married pairs it was decided to make the 'B' end the 'F' end. To be consistant all cars were remarked. After the SEPTA take over in 1983 they (transit types) wanted the MU fleet to be considered 'high speed rail' to avoid FRA oversight. So the numbering was changed to match city transit rail. The wheels were renumbered 1,3,5,7 odd side (left), even side right 2,4,6,8. Every thing is counted from the 'B' end. The FRA shot down the 'derailroading' of the system since SEPTA interchanges with and runs on other railroads but the numbering stuck. During the latest VOH program wheel numbers are being marked on car sides. Itis also for inspection/repair purposes so shop personnel know where to find and repair defects.
To add to the general confusion the diesels and electric engines are marked F and R. The switchers are marked 'F' on the hood end, the road engines are marked 'F' on cab end. The electrics are double ended.