Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.
November 12, 2019
Aka, "The Seat," or as I tend
to refer to it, "The Saddle." After all, it is an Iron
Horse! The once ubiquitous "standard" AAR control stand is
becoming a rare and venerable scene as these aging mares are pulling
and putting in their last train hauling miles. Here, in the seat, the
Hogger, plies his deft (and deftly plies), intuitive craft of
locomotive engineering, i.e., train handling. To the citizen waiting
for the train to pass at a grade crossing it may seem a simple task.
It is not. Vigilance and control are constant and paramount: Even
before the wheels begin to roll, myriad considerations and
inspections are executed to ensure all is in good working order. Only
then is the "Hiball" given between Engineer and Crew.
Keeping the train rolling efficiently and safely requires diligent
monitoring of tangible gauges (control stand) and intangible gauges
(gut instinct). Sadly, today's hi-tech locomotives are equipped with
"Trip Optimizers" that virtually "run" the train
for the engineer, the arguable natural progression thereof begetting
trains remotely or computer operated in the not too distant future.
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