Re: The Short Unhappy Life of Brakies..

Randall said:

"Of course, as Earl implicitly pointed out, most switching is done away from the locomotive, so the steps on the locomotive aren't much use to the guy who is actually doing it (and the only thing close to him is the ladder/stirrups on the cars)."

Randall, remember we are talking about railroading in general and not the C&TS or tourist lines in particular. On most Class 1 Railroads, a shove or pull of a mile or more on a daily basis is not uncommon. The Conductor or Brakeman is expected to ride on the equipment to expedite the moves. I used to work a local as the rear brakeman and we were expected to shove our train 10 miles back to a Power Plant to pick up fly ash cars, winter or summer. Believe me, you learn how to hang on to get comfortable in that situation. Shoves and Pulls like that are all part of "switching". And yes, the Trainman is expected to ride the point of light power when making moves around the yard or the servicing facilities. This is especially important when moving around a multiple unit locomotive consist.

Rick