Railroaders' Nostalgia > ALCO PA's In Manual Transition!

Now watch out guys. You can't have them "Jump". And jump they will!  You can't be in Passenger Service if you ignore the jumping.
Word gets around especially to the RFE's office. ( because the conductor will tattle on you)
Now if you follow the  Special Instructions, there is a way to avoid the peculiarity with early model PA's with manual transition.
You are to advance the transition lever to notch 3, and in some cases 4.  This will result in smoother starting and eliminate the instant  excitation that
early ALCO'S  governors were well known to do.
Good luck and don't jump your consist.

Steam could jump too!

Very interesting post.  So you started off with the manual transition lever in 3.  Southern Railway had got rid of their PA's years before I started working their "glass window jobs".  Southern only had late model PA's anyway.  On several occasions I did have manual transition ALCO RS-3's on the point of Southern's  Washington-Atlanta mixed passenger - pig train - the Piedmont.   I just  shifted transition manually as I would on locals and work trains.  With shifting at the right points and with a mix of other power I didn't have any roughness.