Locos in the Land of Leprechauns

[aussiesteve]

G'day,
Having been intrigued by a weasel from the Land of Leprechauns, I am now curious.
The CIE 001 (aka A) class has no less than FOUR control stands.
WHY ?
I can only assume for SHUNTING purposes.
OR, did the Irish broad gaugers also have sections of a pseudo GWR right hand cab and running ?
Were these Metro Vickers things built for Multi-purpose LEFT and RIGHT hand running ?
Is there anything similar from the mid 1950s that appeared on the opposite side of the Irish Sea ?
Did Metro Vickers also hope to sell these units in Europe ?
There was some broad gauge in Spain, Portugal, India, though I have no idea if right or left hand cabs prevailed.
My intrigue with these dingi began when viewing a You Tuber video clip and espying the weird vacuum brake valves.
The valve handle arrangement now making sense, being co-acting at the opposite control stand.
Just as well that we didn't have something similar here.
Such would have been too much of a temptation for wraskally firemen / observers here.
"Accidentally" manipulate the brake valves while the hogger was distracted.
I learnt very early on that you could jam yer finger into the reverser slot to push up the unlock pin on a 48'er.
This unlocking the throttle permitting it to be manipulated.
Wraskally drivers who had given the novice the helm on the yard shunter, usually on night shift, playing this prank.
While sitting during a lull in the hectic shunting, and starting to doze off, the 48'er would suddenly rev up.
OI, get yer finger out of the reverser slot !
My only exposure to Metro Vickers being our NSWR 46 class "butter box" 1500 vDC buzz boxes.
Such being standard left hand cab with Westinghouse A7EL brake valve.
The Sandgroper (WAGR) X class Metro Vickers narrow gauge weasels had the European wheel throttle.
Plus the Davies Metcalfe FV3 vacuum brake valve, which is different to the Irish A class.
Being narrow gauge it does have right hand cab controls, but only the single stand each end.
Ah but there be some unusual things lurking out there to discover.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Blimey Steve, I didn't know anything about these locos.

Is this what you're talking about? ...youtube link

I guess that shunting is the most likely reason for having a set of controls " at each corner".

A bit like our class 20 where you can turn round in the cab to go the opposite way.

I suppose the CIE A was designed as what the Americans call a 'road switcher', ie a loco that both shunts and hauls loads on the main line.

Hmm. BW

[aussiesteve]

G'day BW,
Not at the local library, so I had to do a VERY quick click on that link and then kybosh it afore me www expired.
HA!
Yep, that be one of the various You Tuber video clips featuring the Erin weasel A39.
More cab footage can be found in the Mike Beckett channel, where I originally encountered this oddity.
The vacuum brake valves intriguing me at first.
Then, the fact of the quad control stands.
The original Crossley donk having been replaced by an EMD, I would also be curious to hear what the original donk sounded like.
The engine room inside body is very similar to our "butter box" 46 class buzz boxes.
Metro Vickers port holes and wall bracing etc.
Encountering such oddities does reinforce just how varied our early railways were.
There was an Aussie comedy flick dubbed Malcolm.
He was an inventor of weird apparati.
One such being a car that could be unhitched along the centre line and turning into two separate two wheel vehicles.
Naturally motor bikes being hidden as the actual foundation.
When being chased by the boys in blue, and having a co-pilot, the car was divided and the two halves then diverging down different streets to baffle them boys in blue.
Maybe the A39 weasel is so intended.
Go down diverging roads in the yard when being chased by the District Supa.
HA !
Steve.