Prototype for Aything

[ljudice]

From VR Dalton GA Webcam - NS long hood forward in 2018:

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[C855B]

Yeah, the magic spell of short-hood-is-the-front has apparently been broken recently. BNSF added a new train earlier this year to a nearby power plant, a joint operation with CN, and the transfer between the two is a "swap ends" operation since it comes in "southbound" on the BNSF Beardstown Sub and goes northbound on the CN ex-IC. @MRLX1020 and I were joking when the new contract started that BNSF hostlers were sooner or later going to forget that both ends were the front of the train at some portion during the trip, and put the cab on one end facing into the train like a "normal" loop operation train would get.

I don't think a week went by before we had our first "wrong end" running:



The only giveaway from the still picture is you'll notice the headlights are at full brightness.

[nkalanaga]

It isn't surprising that NS would run long-hood-forward.  Both the N&W and SOU did that for many years, and at least some of their locos had dual control stands, so the engineer could face whichever way the unit did.

In the N&W's case, I suspect that many of their engineers, in the early 60s, were so used to steam that they felt odd without a "boiler" in front of them.

[Doug G.]

High short hood locos never looked right with the short hood forward, to me. Especially GP7's or 9's, RSD-15's, or any Alco RS.

Doug

[nkalanaga]

It never bothered me which way they faced, probably because I grew up with the NP.  Most of their EMDs, back to the GP7s, were short-hood-forward.  The GN, on the other hand, seems to have considered the long hood the front.  So, when the BN merger came along, you could see one of each on a train, both facing the same way, cab-wise, but one was going forwards, the other in reverse.

Actually, I haven't been able to find the "F" on most GN units I have pictures of, but where the direction is known, the lead unit seems to almost always be running long-hood-forward.

[Mark5]

NS units have ditch lights on both ends, so what does that tell ya? 

[ljudice]

It looks like an ex-UP SD90 or ex-CR SD80 -  desktop controls  =  very sore neck


I doubt this is not some sort of "emergency" - ie leader had electrical failure, no lights, had to be set out.

[Mark5]

Still see plenty of LH first on NS ...

[ljudice]

Still see plenty of LH first on NS ...

Must be regional though...   In NJ I only see it on locals occasionally....