Design
On a mainline locomotive, the pilot has to successfully deflect an obstacle hit at speed; the ideal is to push it upwards and sideways out of the way. The locomotive should not lift on impact or the train will follow, and the ideal is for a fairly smooth structure so that the locomotive will not get caught and derailed.
The typical shape is a blunt wedge that is shallowly V-shaped in plan. In the later days of steam locomotives, 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, pilots were normally fabricated of bars mounted on a frame; later on, sheet metal pilots were often used for their additional smoothness, and some cast steel pilots were employed for their mass and smooth shape. Early diesel locomotives followed the same plan.
Early shunting locomotives often had a pilot with steps on it to allow yard workers to ride on the locomotive; these were called footboard pilots. 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 where workers can ride.
Read more about this topic: Pilot (locomotive)
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