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Post by fabforrest on Jun 24, 2020 20:19:27 GMT
Read in a book that when steam engines were doubleheaded, it was the second engine that actually started the train. True? And if so, why?
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Post by 4dogsinjersey on Jun 24, 2020 20:59:38 GMT
Usually the helper was attached to the front of the train. The Engineer in the engine next to the train, was the train’s primary engineer, so it was up to him to initiate movement of the train. He would signal the other engine with whistle signals as how to proceed.
That’s my hypotheses....
Tom
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2020 17:22:32 GMT
The second engine is considered the road engine while the helper was generally coupled in front of it as Tom mentioned (no need for excess switching at the end of the grade that way). Whichever locomotive was in the lead had control of the brakes, the brake stand in the second locomotive is "cut out" of the system by means of a shutoff valve. In general you'd want to be working together fairly equally vs one locomotive initiating movement and pulling harder and a lot of that working together was done by feeling through "the seat of your pants" as the engineer. You'd be surprised how much you can tell about what the locomotive is doing simply by feel. In general, the name of the game is to keep the coupler slack stretched out.
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