Pilot (locomotive)
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A cowcatcher, also known as a pilot, is the device mounted at the front of a
locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
to deflect obstacles on the track that might otherwise damage or
derail A derail or derailer is a device used to prevent fouling (blocking or compromising) of a rail track (or collision with anything present on the track, such as a person, or a train) by unauthorized movements of trains or unattended rolling stock. ...
it or the train. In the UK small metal bars called ''life-guards'', ''rail guards'' or ''guard irons'' are provided immediately in front of the wheels. They knock away smaller obstacles lying directly on the running surface of the railhead. Historically, fenced-off railway systems in Europe relied exclusively on those devices and cowcatchers were not required, but in modern systems cowcatchers have generally superseded them. Instead of a cowcatcher,
tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s use a device called a fender. Objects lying on the tram track come in contact with a sensor bracket, which triggers the lowering of a basket-shaped device to the ground, preventing the overrunning of the obstacles and dragging them along the road surface in front of the wheels. In snowy areas the cowcatcher also has the function of a
snowplough A snowplow (also snow plow, snowplough or snow plough) is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. Although this term is often used to re ...
.


Invention

The cowcatcher was invented by
Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...
in the 19th century, during his period of working for the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the first inter-city railway in the world. It opened on 15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Liverpool and Manchester in England. It was also the first railway to rely exclusively ...
. However, Babbage's invention was not constructed, and it is uncertain whether later manufacturers were aware of Babbage's idea.


Design

On a mainline locomotive, the cowcatcher has to successfully deflect an obstacle hit at speed. The design principle is to push the object upwards and sideways out of the way and not to lift the locomotive on impact. The typical shape is a blunt wedge with a shallow V-shape in plan. In the later days of
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s, the front coupler was designed to swing out of the way also, so it could not get caught up; this was called a 'drop coupler pilot'. Early on, cowcatchers were normally fabricated of bars mounted on a frame; later on, sheet metal cowcatchers were often used for their additional smoothness, and some cast steel cowcatchers were employed for their mass and smooth shape. Early diesel locomotives followed the same plan. Cowcatchers on early
shunting locomotive A switcher, shunter, yard pilot, switch engine, yard goat, or shifter is a small railroad locomotive used for manoeuvring railroad cars inside a rail yard in a process known as ''switching'' (US) or ''shunting'' (UK). Switchers are not inten ...
s in the US often had steps (called "footboard pilots") to allow yard workers to ride with the locomotive. In some countries, footboard pilots are outlawed for safety reasons, and have been removed. Modern locomotives often have front and rear platforms with safety rails, or deeply recessed steps, where workers can ride.


Modern cowcatchers

Most modern
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an rail vehicles must have cowcatchers with a
snowplough A snowplow (also snow plow, snowplough or snow plough) is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. Although this term is often used to re ...
function and rail guards. The required strength of the system is in the middle of the track and near the rails. Modern US
diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
s have flatter, less wedge-shaped cowcatchers, because a diesel locomotive has the cab near the front, and the crew are vulnerable to impact from obstacles pushed up by the cowcatcher.


Anti-climbers

To protect the crew and passengers, most modern locomotives have a horizontally grooved steel beam known as an anti-climber fitted across the front, above the coupler. Its purpose is to prevent colliding locomotives from riding up and moving over the locomotive frame through the cab.


See also

*
Bullbar A bullbar or push bumper (also (kanga)roo bar, winch bar or nudge bar in Australia, moose bumper in Canada, livestock stop (initially a term used to refer to locomotive pilots) or kangaroo device in Russia, and push bar, ram bar, brush guard, ...
*
Buffer (rail transport) A buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another. Description Fitted at the ends of the vehicle frames ...
*
Buffer stop A buffer stop, bumper, bumping post, bumper block or stopblock (US), is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a physical section of track. The design of the buffer stop is dependent, in part, on the kind of couplings ...
*
Headstock (rolling stock) A headstock of a Railroad car, rail vehicle is a transverse structural member located at the extreme end of the vehicle's underframe. The headstock supports the railway coupling, coupling at that end of the vehicle, and may also support Buffer ( ...


References


Further reading

* - describes seven other meanings of the word "pilot" historically used on Britain's railways. * {{cite journal , date=Fall–Winter 2016 , title=Hubris and the Cowcatcher by John H. White Jr. , journal=Railroad History, issue=215 , publisher=Railway & Locomotive Historical Society , location=Pflugerville, Texas , pages=86–91 - describes Lorenzo Davies, alleged inventor of the cowcatcher. English inventions Locomotive parts Railway safety