wrote in message
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On Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:30:41 -0300, "Don White"
wrote:


wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:28:41 -0400, "Jim" wrote:

A true dead man's throttle as
used in a locomotive will stop the train if the engineer lets go of it.

I had the opportunity to drive a diesel electric and there was no dead
man's throttle on it, only a handle that you moved to change speed,
with no return spring. I suspect that feature went away with the end
of steam ... or the decline of the union

This one
http://www.semgulf.com/578.JPG



Yikes... so now if the engineer dies, gets drunk & falls asleep etc, the
train just rockets along until the end of the line.


This thing might creep back to "stop" but it sure wasn't a snap back
like you have in a car. The pressure to hold it at speed was
negligable. BTW "rocketing" may be too strong a term. The speed limit
on this line is 8-15 MPH depending on where you are (Ft Myers to
Bonita Springs). We had a very close family friend who was the
conductor on the train and he got my 8 year old daughter and me in the
engine. We both got to "drive" although we were always under direct
supervision of the engineer.

The modern large locomotives all have deadmen switches. You have to move
the thottle once in a while or a buzzer goes off that you have to reset. If
you do not reset the buzzer the train slows down. Checks to make sure the
engineer has not fallen asleep. Friends former husband is a train driver.