LAL 420 Question

[tj48]

2 questions about LAL 420:

1. Is the engine still set up to run long hood foward as it was when it was with the LIRR? I ask this because most of pictures I've seen of the 420 it's running short hood foward.

2. I have noticed in pictures that the 420 has horns at both ends. Is there any special reason for this or are all LAL engines set up this way?

[Mike Walsh]

TJ

This is based on my observations, but I know for a fact that LAL 420 is still set up to run long hood forward. They simply run short hood forward possibly because it's closer to the front end, thus they can see "more" on the front end (although it's still kind of hard to see the middle, but I guess that gives the conductor more responsibility for keeping watch on his side). When 420 is leading, they run short hood forward, thus the engineer is on the fireman's (conductor's) side, and vice versa. I'm not sure why the horns are on both ends of 420, but I do know that they can be independently controlled from the cab (there are actually two valves -- one for front end, one for rear end).

That's about all I can give ya... Luther will probably chime in.

mike

[BR&P]

No, the engineer is not on the conductor's side. He's on the engineer's side. The difference is that when the unit is running short-hood first, it is technically backing up.

[scottychaos]

420 for many years now has been assigned to the Lakeville-Rochester run..which means its spends 50% of its time running forward,
and 50% of its time running in reverse!
Locomotives are not turned..
LAL has no turning facilities of their own..and they arent needed anyway.
There are a few wyes in Rochester if they ever did feel the need to turn a locomotive.

Here is a shot of 420 running forward back to Lakeville, (note the "F" in the front) hauling the "Traveler".. which is running backwards.



When the train came from Lakeville up to Rochester, 420 was running in the lead, backwards, (short hood forward) hauling the Traveler behind it,
which was running forwards! in the proper observation car fashion, with the observation deck at the rear of the train.
they switched the loco to the other side of the car at Genesee Junction. (or maybe Brooks ave..not sure which.)

Unfortunately that was the only good shot I got of the special "Traveler move" that day...I caught it behind Southtown Plaza
as it was heading back home to Avon...not the greatest location for photos, but I snapped a few pics anyway!

420 and 425 are the normal pair that do the run up to Rochester.
coming North from Lakeville, 420 leads with short hood forward, technically running in reverse..but its better that way for visability probably:



(the train is moving towards me here, on the run from Lakeville to Rochester...coming up from Lakeville, there would be a train behind the locos,
running with 420 in the lead..at this particular location, they have left
the train behind in Henrietta and are running light into Genesee Junction.)


Returning south from Rochester back to Lakeville, 425 leads, running cab-forward, which of course is "forward" for 425:



Scot

[railwatcher]

It appears that the engines horn sets are individually set up per unit, as shown in the pictures below. C420, C425, C430, C424, and RS1
other C424's have different horn configurations.

#420 with horn sets on each end



#425 with horns on each end



#430 with bi directional horns in mid roof



#421 (in old paint) horns in mid roof, bi directional



#20 single horn trumpets on each side of the cab

[boblenon]

If you really want to be weird, 425 has THREE horns. One on each end, then one on the conductors side of the cab facing down the long hood.

On the units with horns on each end, I believe this was a thing the LIRR did for passenger service ... but don't recall the specifics.

[railfan87]

Well....I figure my 2 cents can help in this discussion. I caught the LA&L last fall running 420 long hood forward back to Lakeville. It was LAL 420 and WNYP 432 pulling just two hoppers back south across Bailey Road. Heres the the pictures I took....theyre not a good photos, but they're proof!

<a><img src="http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g132/ ... 0_0025.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>


<a><img src="http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g132/ ... 0_0028.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

[boblenon]

420 got y'd on the R&S last fall.

[tj48]

Looking back at my original question I realized I forgot to mention that I live on Long Island and watched the LIRR C420's during their reign. The horns were found on the engineer's side of long hood.

LAL 420 in a past life:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=538798

Man how I hated those pastel MTA colors! Anyway, it's good to see the old workhorse in such good shape. You would never believe by those pictures that your looking at a 40+ year old diesel.

[Matt Langworthy]

2. I have noticed in pictures that the 420 has horns at both ends. Is there any special reason for this or are all LAL engines set up this way?

The LIRR specified the horns to be set-up that way when the unit was built in 1964. Buffalo Southern's C420 #2010 is a sister unit (ex-LIRR) and her horns are set-up the same way.

1. on the long hood: http://alcoworld.railfan.net/bsor2010.jpg

2. on the short hood: http://members.aol.com/buffalosouthern/ ... s/2010.jpg

[Luther Brefo]

On the units with horns on each end, I believe this was a thing the LIRR did for passenger service ... but don't recall the specifics.

425 did not come from the LIRR. 425 was a New Haven freight locomotive (2557) until absorption into PC (2457) and later Conrail (2457 then 5086).

Who can identify the only other locomotive on the roster with multiple "audible warning devices"?

So far we have listed 420, 425, and 20.

[Mike Walsh]

72 has a Hancock as well as air horns facing both directions (i'm not sure if they are separate.. i think they are, though)

walsh

[railwatcher]

#72 appears to have bi directional horns




What is a Hancock, keeping a clean mind, (some of us don't know)?

[Mike Walsh]

it's the radio antenna looking device... It's visible in your photo of the long hood facing the photographer, the silver "bowl" in the middle of the front of the cab on top of the long hood.

mike

[FL9AC]

if you look at the first picture of the #72 the Hancock air whistle talked about earlier is sitting between the two center windows painted in silver. When it is blown it sounds like a steam engine. One of the largest railroads to use this type of horn was the New Haven Railroad. Here's a link to a video of two FL-9's with their Hancock air whisles reinstalled for a special trip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqd5TEOvQIk

(fast forward the video to 2:40)