# Operational Question for Alco RS2 & RS3



## mghoag (Dec 26, 2021)

Which was the proper forward direction for locomotives like the Alco RS2, RS3, etc: Short hood or long hood first?


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## Fred Mills (Nov 24, 2008)

Railroads differed, but generally the short hood was the front of the locomotive.
Remember that if the locomotive is set up for short hood forward, the control stand in the cab would have the engineer on the right hand side of the cab. In that case, trying to operate the locomotive long hood forward, put the engineer in a rather awkward position, with his back to the controls. 
The engineers (Operators) of any locomotive need to have as clear forward vision as possible, and be on the right hand side of the cab, in order to see the signals beside the track, where their standard location was . There were signals on the opposite side of the tracks, for trains (Locomotives) going in the opposite direction.
So, if a railroad company purchased their locomotives for long hood forward, the controls would have to be positioned differently. BTW, in the steam, and Diesel electric eras, the person in the left hand seat in the cab was the "Fireman", a title left over from the steam locomotive era. On Diesels the fireman usually was responsible for being the second set of eyes in the cab, maintaining the train orders etc. In later years with two man operation the "Fireman" was usually called the "Conductor", and was in charge of the train, and its operation. He also acts as a brakeman, when any on the ground work is required. Earlier years, saw a three man crew in the cab of the locomotive. A Conductor, Head end Brakeman, and the Engineer. 
When cabooses were standard on most trains, it had the Conductor, and Rear end Brakeman positioned in it.

I hope this helps to answer your questions.
Fred Mills


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## mghoag (Dec 26, 2021)

Fr.Fred said:


> Railroads differed, but generally the short hood was the front of the locomotive.
> Remember that if the locomotive is set up for short hood forward, the control stand in the cab would have the engineer on the right hand side of the cab. In that case, trying to operate the locomotive long hood forward, put the engineer in a rather awkward position, with his back to the controls.
> The engineers (Operators) of any locomotive need to have as clear forward vision as possible, and be on the right hand side of the cab, in order to see the signals beside the track, where their standard location was . There were signals on the opposite side of the tracks, for trains (Locomotives) going in the opposite direction.
> So, if a railroad company purchased their locomotives for long hood forward, the controls would have to be positioned differently. BTW, in the steam, and Diesel electric eras, the person in the left hand seat in the cab was the "Fireman", a title left over from the steam locomotive era. On Diesels the fireman usually was responsible for being the second set of eyes in the cab, maintaining the train orders etc. In later years with two man operation the "Fireman" was usually called the "Conductor", and was in charge of the train, and its operation. He also acts as a brakeman, when any on the ground work is required. Earlier years, saw a three man crew in the cab of the locomotive. A Conductor, Head end Brakeman, and the Engineer.
> ...


Thanks, Fred. This is helpful information.


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## choochoowilly (Oct 31, 2016)

Found this in "Trains" magazine and it is the same thing that my grandfather who retired from the railroad as a engineer, told me (" 
Southern Railway SD45 No. 3121 leads long hood forward on a unit coal train at Oreton, Va., in 1984. Such design enhanced bidirectional capability.
Ron Flanary
Q When did railroads such as the Norfolk & Western stop running their road engines “long hood first?” How effective was this practice for crew safety? Did it have other merits?
_— Brian Christenson, Bucyrus, Ohio_

A It’s a common misconception that both Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway (and for a while, successor Norfolk Southern) operated many of their hood units long hood forward for better crew safety in the event of a collision. While that might have been a secondary benefit, the real reason was bidirectional operation capability.
From the acquisition of its first diesel-electric locomotives in late 1955 (both EMD GP9s and Alco RS3s), the N&W’s units were equipped with dual controls, so they could be operated in either direction with the engineer on the traditional right-hand side. Line-side signals, for example, were almost always on the right side of the track, so having the engineer there was an optimum situation. The N&W operated many coalfield “shifters,” where bidirectional diesel operation was ideal — and much better than in the days of steam, when the big Mallets had to find a wye if they needed to reverse direction. Otherwise, an engineer (and fireman) would have to assume an awkward sitting position in the cab on long reverse moves, with the engine’s throttle, reverser, air brake handles, and other controls actually behind him.
The Southern’s approach to bidirectional operation was simpler: Make the short end of the unit the rear, delete the optional low nose, and have the engineer on the right-hand side with the long hood leading. In the event the unit was running in “reverse,” the engineer would be on the left side, but with a short hood, so his forward vision to the right side of the track wasn’t impaired all that much. While new power in this configuration didn’t arrive until the SD45s of 1967, earlier units (SD24s, GP30s and GP35s) all came with high short hoods, but set up as the short hood end as the “front.”
In both cases, the carriers hoped to eliminate terminal expense and delay from turning units on turntables or wyes. In truth, crews on both roads never received the practice warmly.
The last road units N&W purchased came with conventional low-nose short hoods set up as the “front,” and without dual controls. For a time after the NS merger, new units were purchased under the Southern philosophy of long hood forward, but with low-nose short hoods. The advent of “comfort cab” units made such operating practices impractical, so it’s now rare to find a vintage N&W or Southern unit running long hood forward.
_— Ron Flanary, frequent TRAINS contributor and former Southern Railway employee "_


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## mghoag (Dec 26, 2021)

Thanks for your response and sharing the very useful and informative info!

Best Regards,

Mike Hoag


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