What is it like in the cab of a locomotive for the Engineer?
I’ve seen the videos on youtube, but I want to ask you guys and gals directly. Locomotive cabs are rather austere. They lack the ergonomics of an aircraft cockpit. The aircraft has carpeted floors and sheepskin seat covers. Six way adjustable seats. Cup holders and reading lights. The pilot straps on the airplane, so to speak. I recently visited the Railway museum in Sacramento and the shop at Bailey Yards in NE. What’s it like in the cab of a locomotive in harsh weather? Do you have heat controls and AC? Are you allowed to play the radio or portable music devices? Do engineers report to a “traffic controller” of sorts? Or is it all automated signals now days? What do the signals mean? Red over green, that sort of thing. I rode Amtrak recently for the first time. It was great.
They are rather plain.Just about everything on an engine is an option and some railroads equip their engines better than others(especially seats).Just about all new units have AC and all have heaters with simple controls(low,med.,and high).Some of the older engines could be chilly in cold weather(to the point where it was wise to always carry duct tape to seal doors and windows if needed).And very few had AC and even fewer AC that actually worked.They are much nicer now in all respects.Nope were not supposed to play music,read,etc.All tracks are under the control of a train dispatcher who directs the movements of trains.There are different types of signal systems and territories.Where i run(Texas and New Mexico) it is all CTC which is controlled by a dispatcher in Omaha NE.We still get track warrants and train orders on paper.As for signals there are too many to cover them all and they mean different things on some railroads..Basics are green=go,red=stop,yellow=get ready to stop at the next signal.The red over green you mention is proceed on the diverging route at the proscribed speed through the turnout(switch).A double yellow is prepare to advance on diverging route at the next signal.There are different speeds for different signals also.Google railroad block signals and you should find lots of them to read about.Well i was on a train all night and that’s about all i can answer right now.I’m sure others will be along to add to what i have told you.
Andy’s answers are spot on, but I’ll add my two censts worth just for the heck of it.
Considering how much time we spend in them, locomotive cabs are rather primitive, although they are much improved lately. No carpeting because railroads are filthy gritty places, they could never be kept clean, noise level is a lot better now but even still, it is quite loud, you cannot have a normal conversation with a crew member sitting 8 feet away without raising your voice if the locomotive is operating at anywhere near full throttle.
We have adjustable seats now but the only reason is the railroad made us sit on toadstools and appleboxes so long people got ruined backs and sued.
Heat and AC are electric and are pretty good although one would think a company like GE could put some reasonable thermostats in, sometimes it is either too hot or cold but I gotta tell you. . . . . wasn’t that long ago, we would wet paper towels and stick in the gaps around the doors and windows and in the winter they would freeze in place, acting as a sort of frozen weather stripping.
I have honest to God had snow drifts 6 inches deep on the floor of a locomotive.
But thank goodness most of those locomotives are retired or upgraded.
NO personal radios or electronic devices of any sort while the locomotive is on motion, none whatsoever.
We have a dispatcher that controls our movements, via varying signal aspects and radio communication.
Signals can vary from company to company and even within subdivisions on a company but generally speaking the top signal signifies authority on a main track and lower ones on a subsidiary track so red over green would mean you cannot proceed on the main line but are authorized to proceed on the other line, either a siding or a different main line.
It is a fascinating job, not difficult to do but impossible to master, Ive been doing this since Fred Flinstone was a fireman on the Bedrock Railroad and there are still times when I feel like I don’t have a clue what is going on. Every train is different and during the trip as the temperature changes the train can have entirely different characteristics.
Ditto to all the above. Although improved greatly during my time, conditions are still rather Spartan as creature comforts of one kind or another are still absent.
Consider that right behind the back bulkhead there is an electrical source that can power an entire suburban neighborhood, but there is no way to heat food via hot plate or microwave oven. There used to be very small refrigerators on SP locomotives, but now all you get is a styrofoam ice chest like you can buy for $2 at a hardware store. If it breaks, too bad. If the ice runs out, too bad.
You can bring a small coffee maker with you, but with only a 72 volt DC power supply, it takes forever to brew a pot of the life-saving stuff.
Sanitation is non-existent with a primitive toilet in a cramped area in the nose of older locos. Newer wide body locos have improved here somewhat with a small indoor outhouse. But, there is still no water for washing hands with crews relegated to small packets of hand cleaner. But again, no water to remove the cleaner.
Why is it so?
Because the carriers don’t want to have to hire a laborer to supply the engines when in need or to maintain the simple devices that would make a train crew’s life a little more… human.
I make sure my dogs are taken better care of than how carriers treat their train and engine crews.
I got here too late again – story of my life, LOL. I’d like to follow up on one of Samurai Hoghead’s statements though. My Conductor and I thought we’d figured out how to install a microwave in with the 72 volt electrical system in our GP-38. It worked great for about a week. Now it trips the circuit breaker all the time. Oh well. Back to heating soups and garlic bread on the side wall heaters, LOL.
If your talkign about a steam train it is extremely hot from the firebox doors. I’ve driven a steam train before even though i’m still in school and it rellies a lot on the drivers skills. Everything is manually operated including the water inlets and outlets and everything including the brakes only work when the engine is “steamed” which can take between 4-8 hours depending on the size of th eengine. There was also on the train i drove no speedo and so the speed was guessed by the rotation of th episton pulses. It is also very loud and some steam trains the driver and fireman have whistle codes and hand signals to communicat. This is made worse in the tunnel when there are no lights on in the cab. It is pitchblack except fo rth eholes in the firebox doors and when you open the firebox doors the cab lights up brilliantly
It’s fun definitely try to do it someday!
Luke