Large Scale Central

Doubleheading on Tweetsie RR, Real 1:1 Answers

Prototypes
#1

I posed this Question to Tim Smith, the Head Engineer at Tweetsie RR in NC:

I have a question for you- I am curious about how you guys double head the engines…How do you and Scott sync the engines so that they are working together and not against?

and this is his entire reply, reprinted with Tim’s permission:

Cale,

Double heading isn’t that hard as long as the two engineers work together, the way we do it, is I set the pace in #12 and Scott gives #190 just enough to pull the train but not push on #12, he watches the back of #12’s tank real close, because when you start pushing, it the tank will kinda shake a bit.

The biggest thing with me isIi have to forget he is back there or i will go crazy.
So I run #12 just like its me by myself, and I try not to turn my head out the window where my left ear will pick up 12 and my right ear will pick up 190, cause if I do then I’ll think we are out of sync. But double heading is very easy once we got the hang of it.

When we started doing railfan weekend in 2005 I had only double headed 1 time and I was on 190, and Scott had never done it. So we kinda learned to do it together which made things easier, neither one knew what to do and we did it, after about 3 trips we had it down pretty good.

And I know your going to ask this the braking part of the run is a little harder mainly cause your holding
back 190 plus the train. But when your double heading the lead engine controls all the brakes, and the second engine basically becomes a
train car. The only exception is 190 can control her own engine brakes, with that we use 190 to stop the train in town to line up the ramps.

I hope that helps you…if it did confuse you just let me know and I
might can clarify things a little more.

Tim

I thought some of you may be interested?

Cale

#2
cale nelson said:
... Double heading isn't that hard as long as the two engineers work together, ...
I would guess that the Tweetsie guys have learned what the old drivers/engineers had to know back when. Something of a black art requiring a good "seat of the pants" feel. I know that on some British railways when double-heading was required in the hills, the assisting engine was cut in between the "train" engine and the train, so that the train's rostered driver kept the lead position and therefore control. A nice little operating complication.
#3

Happens a lot in Durango.

Additional factor not mentioned is that the rear loco controls the carriage/car brakes which are used to balance the train.

#4
David said:
Happens a lot in Durango.

Additional factor not mentioned is that the rear loco controls the carriage/car brakes which are used to balance the train.


Checked, I was wrong, the front engine controls the train brakes, the rear has of course the big hole option and its own brakes. The Engineer of the helper - well helps, the pace is controlled by the lead engine, not seen as a big issue.

#5

Very interesting. I’ve been to Durango - Silverton a number of times, . . have yet to see a double header. Hope to make it to Silverton for the arrival of the first train next spring. I think they run double headers for the first train.

I used to watch double headed B&O articulateds pulling long trains of coal up the W. Verginia side of the Ohio river back in the early '50s. Fantastic sight ! We’d sit on the upstairs porch of the house over on the Ohio side of the river and watch 'em pull and pull and pull, . . . the train would stretch out forever behind, and then finally there’d come along another articulated at the rear pushing for all it was worth. Smoke rolling down the river valley ! Railroading was fantastic back then !

Good railroadin’, . . . .