by RDGTRANSMUSEUM
from a friends slide trading
visit us at : readingtransportationmuseum.org
Railroad Forums
Moderators: TAMR213, keeper1616
RDGTRANSMUSEUM wrote:here are more that were badly faded slides. note "soul train" lettering.LOL!
green_elite_cab wrote:Look, I'm not making this up. Some roads designated dual-control units with an F1 on one end and an F2 on the other end, because depending on which control stand the engineer operates from, either end can be the front for operating purposes (IE the position of the reverser in the cab). It appears this was not a Penn Central practice. But I have seen it done. http://crcyc.railfan.net/locos/emd/sw1200m/sw1200m.html - Reading did this: units were marked F1 at the front and these SW1200M's carry only a 2 at the rear. I believe the unit I recall seeing with an actual F2 on the other end is a Reading GP7, but none of the shots on that site are clear enough to show the markings.lvrr325 wrote:Based on the pantograph removal and the lettering, it appears they were modified to only have one operational cab? Note the pan, road number and a small "F" all on the same end of the shots of the '73 and '77 above (although, oddly, the engineer's side of the '77 has the number at the rear). Normally a unit that can be operated in either direction is marked F1 and F2 at each end.
However, They don't put more than 1 set of Fs. I've collected a bunch of prototype photos of E44s (Dual controlled), GG1s, none of them have more than one set of Fs. Why would you put another set of Fs? that could create confusion, especially if the 1 or 2 wasn't readily visible. All you need is one F. If you don't see the F, you can assume its not the front at just a glance.
lvrr325 wrote:That assumes that everyone in the crew is too stupid to comprehend #1 from #2 and agree which one is F for the purposes of that day's operations, which was the correct procedure with those locomotives. Which I suppose is possible, there certainly were as many dumb guys working for the railroad as smart ones. Be it obvious to everyone, or should they be self-important know-it-alls that are never wrong and always have an answer for everything. It's not worth arguing with the latter.The "F" is on locomotives as a FEDERAL requirement. As to a double end locomotive, the end the engineer is presently operating from is the head end in so far as signals, hand signals, switching moves etc are concerned. Whether the engineer is operating from the "F" end or the other end with a double ended electric motor is irrelevant to how hand signals etc are used in the move. If the reverse handle is in forward he/she is moving forward and if it is in reverse he/she is moving in reverse. Of course it is always worthwhile knowing what end you are operating from because on electric motors some things are on the number one end and some on the number two end.