SD-40 long hood forward

[trainskinner]

how can you tell which hihood/hinose SD40 units ran long hood forward... and why did some do it that way?

thanks.... -mike

[TB4JY]

Look for the "F" on the end of the locomotive.  This tells you which end is actually foreward.

[Batman]

all of Southern & NW`s SD40 were set up to run long hood forward ,   however they can be run bi directional.

[TB4JY]

Here are some pics showing the "F".

The first pic is from NS 6623 showing the "F" from the long hood.  The second pic is the short hood of the NS 6623 without the "F".   The last pic is from the short hood of the Dash9.










Why run longhood foreward?  They thought it was safer.

[Michael Knight]

Why run longhood foreward?  They thought it was safer.

And, Southern management thought it was cheaper since units didn't have to be turned at outlying points.

[R Federle]

I could be having a "Senior moment" as I sometimes do but many unit (dont know about the SD-40's though) had dual control stands did they not?

Seems I recall dual control stands in some old B23-7's that I photographed on their way through New Iberia Louisiana several years back. They were headed to Mexico.

Robert Federle

[E.M. Bell]

The only NS units I have been on that had dual controls was a older GP40 of N&W heritage.  N&W seemed to be more prone to ordering them that way than the Southern did...I dont know if the Southern ever had any like that or not to tell the truth. The cabs with the dual stands where horribly cramped with little room for anything else...not a place to be if one was claustrophobic. 

A lot of the older southern power that was set up to run LHF had standard AAR control stands, that where more or less parallel to the cab wall, making it easier to run in either direction, as compared to a standard stand that was set a an angle towards the front of the cab. I have ran a couple of GP38-2's that had the parallel arrangement, and they where not to bad. The worst part was 'training' yourself to use your right hand to do everything when you where running backwards, and not reaching behind you for the brake   

[E.M. Bell]

I suppose 'cramped' is a relative term when it comes to such things..to you, maybe not so cramped, to me, tight fit.. I guess the N&W only hired skinny guys

[TB4JY]

I suppose 'cramped' is a relative term when it comes to such things..to you, maybe not so cramped, to me, tight fit.. I guess the N&W only hired skinny guys

That's true.  When you change over from switchmen to engineer, you automatically gain 20lbs.

[whjco]

Where did you run the ex-VGN FM units?  My father and many relatives, four generations worth, worked at the VGN shops in Princcton, WV. 

I think the most cramped cab i ever operated in was an ALCO MRS1 and a 50 ton Vulcan tank steam engine.  Nothing was worse than the Vulcan for heat!

Bill J., Lexington, KY.