I read your article on Red tape http://blog.heritage.org/2011/06/07/tal ... egulation/ and found your opening statement amusing "Most folks would reasonably think that a railroad engineer or conductor would be able to distinguish the front of a train from the back of it." I only have one question. What end is the front of this locomotive? I have edited out the "F" because, after all it is redundant.

Note: Photo Ⓒ Kevin the Krazy 1

What about an EMD F or E b-unit? Alco PB or FB? I believe the rule dates to the timeframe of the early roadswitchers, when you didn't necessarily know which way was forward on a particular locomotive. Dual control stands didn't help. Heck, Norfolk Southern has SD60s with dual controls that are low short hood, but still have the long hood designated as the front. Its not a good idea to have to guess which way you will go if you put the reverser in forward.

Actually, the GE above may be easy to determine forward, I think it only has one set of controls, however some have two, as I recall.

Actually, I think it goes back a good deal further, to the era of box cab electrics and the diesel electrics of Ingersoll-Rand:

http://www.protocraft.com/images/193.jpg

http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-b ... DMROTATE=0

What would those "libertarian" or "conservative" types say about this Alco unit? It has ends designated 1 and 2, and sides labelled A and B, in addition to the F above the 1 on the No. 1 end:

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/nyc1550.jpg

What about this long-lived classic?

http://www.trainweb.org/railpix/miscpix ... -10-98.jpg

They aren't too common, but it's not like double-ended locomotives have completely disappeared:

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/21/46/76/46 ... 28x471.jpg

http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtAEM7_9 ... t900bL.jpg

http://www.trainweb.org/chris/photos/iowatr31.JPG

Then there are light rail cars and streetcars that are double-ended, too.

I think the idea that railroad equipment is bidirectional and in some cases double-ended is alien to people who are satisfied with flying and driving and who have no knowledge of railroading and no desire to acquire any knowledge, either.

It wouldn't surprise me if some characters would use this sort of thing to argue that railroads are out of date!

You're probably right J3a, I was just looking at the "why" of the rule, and forgot about those early boxcabs. However, I would still say the focus of the rule was single cab engines. As something I mentioned earlier, Norfolk Southern has SD60s with dual control stands (former SOU) with the long hood being "forward". If you put one of the former southern units next to, say, a SOO SD60 and put them both in forward, one will go the way you expect; the other will not. (Unless you pay attention to the conveniently placed "f'



Well than why don't they leave us alone and let the railroads police themselves? The AAR does more for safe operations than Congress ever has.

That's easy. Just look for the train heat boiler exhaust. Oh, wait......"Rivets" had her boiler pulled circa 1960 and was made a freight-only unit.

Never Mind. - E. Litella

PS: I quit reading the Passenger Train forum on Trainorders because of all the conservative-libertarian-Republican bashing that goes on there.

Can we refrain from that sort of thing here?

This could be picking nits but she referenced a "train" not a "locomotive" and except for push pull operations its rather easy to distinguish the front from the rear.