Re: [CBQ] Left handed engines

["'John D. Mitchell, Jr.' cbqrr47@yahoo.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>]

That was one task that the engineer did (but more often than not, the fireman or head brakeman caught the orders), however most of the controls were on the engineer's left (OK, the headlight switch was on his right). This was one of the few occupations that favored left handed men, besides baseball pitchers! BTW, the C&EI used left handed switch engines on the Joppa, Illinois coal dock until the end of steam because the incline track was on a curve. With diesels, they just turned them around. On most roads, signals were on the right because of clearance was easier on that side. If the signals were located on the left side and the road used right hand running on double track (unlike the old C&NW mainline), the signal mast would be between the tracks(not so good) or on a signal bridge (at a greater cost). That's why, the signals in confined areas like a signal in a interlocking plant for running the "wrong way" and located between the tracks were dwarfs ("pots"). 

 
 

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From: "Nathan Simmons trainman51@gmail.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2015 4:09 PM
Subject: RE: [CBQ] Left handed engines

 

My random shot in the dark guess is because most people are right handed and being on the right hand side made picking orders up easier as it was with the right hand/arm.

Nate
Galaxy

On Oct 13, 2015 2:21 PM, "'Rupert & Maureen' gamlenz@ihug.co.nz [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Leo

I often wonder why U.S. engineers were on the right with right hand track running (coming from a country with right hand controls on left hand track) rather than towards the centre of a pair of tracks (as it the case with vehicles).

Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ

 

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From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: 14 October 2015 08:51
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Left handed engines

 

Rupert,

 

What a wonderful find ! News to me. But it will become visually clear to all who see the postcard of the old Aurora yard in the soon to be issued BRHS BB 51 as to why this was needed.

Thanks,

 

Leo

On Oct 13, 2015, at 1:05 PM, 'Rupert & Maureen' gamlenz@ihug.co.nz [CBQ] <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Left handed but for Aurora, from the 1886 Railroad Gazette -

There is now being constructed in the locomotive shops a “left-handed ” switch engine. This may seem a trifle strange to most people, yet such is the case. It is made after the style of the five new switch engines recently made here, but instead of the engineer sitting in his usual place on the right hand side of the cab, the situation will be reversed and he will occupy the left hand or fireman's side. The engine is for use in the upper end of the Aurora yard, where the tracks curve so that the signals are obliged to be given on the left-hand side of the engine. As it is now with an ordinary engine, the fireman is obliged to receive the switchman's signals and transmit them to the engineer, thus making delay and liability to accident. With the new engine the engineer can take the signals himself and thus be responsible for a correct understanding of them.

Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ

 

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Posted by: "John D. Mitchell, Jr." <cbqrr47@yahoo.com>

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