LONG HOOD FORWARD

'Long Hood Forward' (LHF) is a practice of Norfolk Southern's predecessors Southern Railway (SOU) and Norfolk & Western (NW). When Southern Railway received their first EMD GP7s, they were delivered with a high, short hood, and Southern Railway pointed the locomotive LHF for crew safety. After the first GP7s hit the Southern Railway System, subsequent locomotives were ordered with the high, short hood and the long hood designated (starting after the SD45 order) as the front. The term "Long Hood Forward" comes from operating a hood unit with the long hood toward the front and the short hood toward the rear. Here is a list of each locomotive Southern ordered with a high, short hood, and operated LHF.
General Motors Electro Motive Division
GP7,
GP9,
GP18,
GP30,
GP35,
GP38,
GP38-2,
GP40X (SOU 7000-7002),
GP49 (SOU 4600-4605),
GP50 (SOU 7003-7092),
SD7,
SD9,
SD35,
SD40,
SD40-2, and
SD45
(note: the SD50 and the GP59 are the first units ordered with the low, short hood, and pointed LHF)
General Electric Transportation Systems
B30-7,
U23B,
B23-7,
U30C,
U30B,
U33C, and
U36-7
The Norfolk and Western Railway (NW) operated as Southern Railway did, with the long hood toward the front; the only difference between NW locomotives and the Southern Railway locomotives was the position of the bell. NW had the bell on the short hood while Southern had the bell on the long hood.
It should also be noted that many early diesel locomotive builders designated the long hood end of their road switchers as the front. Examples include models manufactured by the American Locomotive Company and Baldwin Locomotive Works.