When you see two or three engines in a consist usually one or another is running with the cab in the opposite direction of the others. Is there any reason for doing this or is it just because that's the way it was coupled? Someone asked me this question and of course I said 'it's because they can' now I wonder this too. Any takers?
Question like this are best posted in another forum, so I'm moving it from the Cattle Car to a better location for you shortly... :tb-wink: :tb-wink: :tb-wink: :tb-wink:
Direction Southern Pacific used to have the last unit in a consist facing with the front to the rear of the train. This was to be able to avoid a reverse move where the engineer had an obstructed view of the track. Sometimes this wasn't always possible but it was done on the mainline most of the time. In later years as long as the lead locomotive faced forward the other units could be facing either way
There's no hard fast rule......but in some cases , for example helper units, the end units will be facing opposite. That way the engineers are facing foward as the helper pushes up the hill, then they switch ends to go back the other way.The in between units are usually just facing whichever way they were facing when coupled. A couple weeks ago on an MRL tour, we watched them turn an SD45 on the turntable so it could be attached to the end of a 5 unit helper set....they definitely wanted it facing a specific direction.
On the BNSF, the first two units are facing the same way in case the lead unit or its communications capability become disabled or the locomotive numbers are not readable,then the numbers of the second unit may be used to identify the train. The train can also be operated from the second unit and the conductor(or brakeman) would be riding the lead unit as protection. CT
