Cab forward question

[Cooped]

Hi

this has bugged me for a while. Not being too familiar with north american locomotives when I first saw the cab forward I was quite intreiged. The benefits of having the cab at the front are fairly obvious, but I'm struggling to figure out how the coal from the tender was transfered all the way up into the firebox. Somehow I doubt if the fireman was made to climb all the way along the length of the loco with shovelfulls!

If anyone can set me straight that would be appreciated.

Thanks
Dan

[Michigan Railfan]

I remember someone telling me that many cab forwards ran off of oil instead of coal. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I think it is.

[richg]

To my knowledge, they were all oil fired. Below is a link to the first USA cab forward I believe.

http://www.ironhorse129.com/Projects/Engines/NPC_21/NPC_No21.htm

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/steam24.html


Rich

[Cooped]

Well that would certainly make sense.

Thanks
Dan

[poliss]

"All of the cab-forwards were oil-burning locomotives..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_forward

[Michigan Railfan]

My friend also said that there's only one cab-forward surviving, and its at a train museum in California. Is that true?

[poliss]

In the Wikipedia link I just gave. "One example of the type, Southern Pacific 4294, is kept at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. It is a 4-8-8-2 locomotive and is the only one to escape being scrapped."

[Jim Banner]

In poliss's Wikipedia link, there seems to be some confusion about where the fireman's work station was located.  With the cab end of the locomotive being the front, the statement

the fireman's station remains on the footplate behind the firebox (for obvious reasons)

is not at all obvious to me.  Behind the firebox on a cab forward would put the fireman right inside the boiler.  I think I would prefer to take my chances with being poisoned by exhaust fumes rather than being boiled in 400 degree water.

Jim

[Robertj668]

My son and I want a Cab Forward! It is unique to us!
Robert

[richg]

In a cab forward , the driver and fireman's seats where in the same position as a standard locomotive. I have diagrams of the inside of a cab forward. Driver on the right side, fireman on the left side.

Rich

[OldTimer]

The Fall 2009 issue of Classic Trains has a couple of wonderful articles on what it was like to fire a cab forward.  If you aren't familiar with this excellent quarterly, try to find a copy at the library and give it a look.  It's always a great read.
Old Timer

[richg]

The throttle hangs from the overhead just to the left of the driver. I have some diagrams from the Precision Scale Catalog because they use to sell detailed brass versions with all the controls and gauges inside the cab.. You don't want to know how much they cost.

Rich

[Michigan Railfan]

In the Wikipedia link I just gave. "One example of the type, Southern Pacific 4294, is kept at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. It is a 4-8-8-2 locomotive and is the only one to escape being scrapped."

Yep, that's the one. Thanks. But is that the only surviving cab-forward?

[richg]

In the Wikipedia link I just gave. "One example of the type, Southern Pacific 4294, is kept at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. It is a 4-8-8-2 locomotive and is the only one to escape being scrapped."

Yep, that's the one. Thanks. But is that the only surviving cab-forward?

That is a very diificult question. I think the link you quote answers that question but I might be wrong. 

Rich

[Jim Banner]

Blink_182_Fan,
It is impossible to tell from that quote alone if the 4294 is the only surviving cab forward.  It all depends on what the author meant by "the only one."  Was he referring to cab forwards in general, Southern Pacific cab forwards in particular, 4-8-8-2 cab forwards, 4-8-8-2's in general, or what?

This seems to be the same author that had the fireman sitting inside the steam boiler.  It is easy to get mixed up when the locomotive's rear suddenly becomes its front.  Richg tells us

In a cab forward , the driver and fireman's seats where in the same position as a standard locomotive. I have diagrams of the inside of a cab forward. Driver on the right side, fireman on the left side.

In a normal locomotive, someone who was warming his backside at the firebox door would be riding backwards and would have the fireman on his right and the engineer on his left.   But in a cab forward, the same guy in the same position would be riding forward when his backside was toward the firebox door.  According to richg, this would make the guy on his right the engineer (NOT the fireman) and the guy on his left the fireman (NOT the engineer.) I hope we never get into a discussion of double Farlies!

Going back to your question, I too am wondering about cab forwards in other parts of the world?  Were any of them preserved?

Jim