Both diesels on the front cover photo for Jacques Kelly's book Trackside Maryland have a small upper case "F" painted on the car body. I have also seen this on the MARC MP36 engines and Amtrak diesels. What does the "F" mean? "F" as in Front of the locomotive just seems too obvious, hence the question.

Thanks.

Wesley

Yes, it does designate the "front." As I recall, this was an I.C.C. regulation inherited from electric locomotives, most of which were double-ended back then. As diesels fell into the regulatory category of "locomotives other than steam," they got an "F"--which could still be handy around a B-unit!

Can anyone confirm or correct this?

This concept became particularly important with early road switchers--some railroads ordered locomotives such as the GP7, RS3, and AS616 configured to run long hood forward, and others short hood forward. Even second-generation diesels weren't consistent--Southern ordered models such as GP35s and U-Boats with tall short hoods, set up to run long-hood forward.Mingle these in a place like Chicago or St. Louis or Alexandria, or on run-through freights, and all sorts of fun can happen.

And then there are models like the GE center-cabs, the Alco C415, and the Baldwin and Lima center-cab transfer double-engine center-cabs....... You have to have some way to tell the guy reading the report which truck has thin flanges or whatever.....

Yes, required by FRA regulation. Conductors passing signals to engineer, by hand or radio, need to know which way the locomotive is facing when instructing to "go forward" or "back up".

Alan Maples

Can't give you the old ICC cite, but the current reg is 49 CFR 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."

When you're the ground man in a switching move that little F is really important, because it keeps it crystal clear between you and the engineer which direction is which. I know if I give a proceed signal, he's going to move towards the direction with the F; back up in the direction without the F. At the B&O Museum we had an operable GP-9s set up OEM to run long hood forward--you couldn't just assume that the short end was the front as more commonly the case. The F told the tale.

And by the way, Wes, this question has confirmed your lifetime membership in The Ancient and Accepted Order of Traction Nerds. Only a hardcore wirehead could be an operating man of your skill and experience and yet still be innocent of that reg.