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Control stand

Diesel-electric locomotive subsystem which integrates engine functional controls

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A control stand is a diesel-electric locomotive subsystem which integrates engine functional controls and brake functional controls, whereby all functional controls are "at hand" (within reach of the locomotive engineer from their customary seating position, facing forward at all times). The control stand can be on either the left or right hand side of the cab, depending on region.

Normally, a control stand is oriented in the direction labeled "F" (front of the locomotive). Although front is usually the "short hood," a seldom-used alternate designates the "long hood" as front, such as on the Victorian Railways X class. Where operations in both directions are required, two control stands ("dual control stands") may be provided.

The early control stands were designed to Association of American Railroads (AAR) standards. The traditional AAR control stand is still preferred by some railroads. Current control stands may employ multiple displays and electronic actuation of operational controls from an all-electronic desktop.

The control desk of an Amtrak Cascades Talgo Series 8 cab car
The control desk of an Amtrak Cascades Talgo Series 8 cab car
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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Control stand, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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