Do Planes and Trains have ignition keys?

[Mark R]

Do you need a key to start up a freight/commuter train, or a big plane, like a 747?

Let's say, I wandered down to LAX, and sneaked onto a plane. Could I just fire it up and take it for a spin? (For the purposes of this experiment, we should assume that any minor obstacles to getting to this stage have been overcome).

Or could I do the same thing at a railroad yard. Just hop onto a train, push the start button, and away we go?

What about boats?

 

[eLiu]

Do you need a key to start up a freight/commuter train, or a big plane, like a 747?

Let's say, I wandered down to LAX, and sneaked onto a plane. Could I just fire it up and take it for a spin? (For the purposes of this experiment, we should assume that any minor obstacles to getting to this stage have been overcome).

Or could I do the same thing at a railroad yard. Just hop onto a train, push the start button, and away we go?

What about boats?

I dunno about trains, but for jetliners, there isn't a key. But you'd have to know what to do. It's much more complex than just pressing a "start" button, at least on a 747. I don't know all the steps but at the very least you'd need to start the APU and then start up the engines. Also depending on where the plane is, you'd have a hell of a time moving it w/o crashing into a building or something without some ground crew around.

edit: also you might need fuel. I'm not sure if they keep jetliners fully fueled but I doubt it. But jetliners are designed to have self-contained start sequences. This has been the case since the 727 which (i think) was the first one w/an APU.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

Standard freight / commuter locomotives (trains) do not have ignition keys but if you don't know what you are doing you won't be able to start it up.

The older locomotives are a lot more like opening a safe than the newer models. Some of the new ones are basically as easy as flipping the right circuit breakers and pushing the right button.

Even if you were able to start a locomotive you wouldn't get very far with the correct equipment. There is actually a removable lever that most engineers will take with them that enables the engine to go forward or backwards. If you don't have that all you can do is sit on a big air compressor.

 

[Rubycon]

What about boats?

That's a ship not a boat.
Similar to what others have said - if you know what you are doing you could get her to move but the list of things that a crew needs to do first is so long that's not going to happen.

Standard freight / commuter locomotives (trains) do not have ignition keys but if you don't know what you are doing you won't be able to start it up.

The older locomotives are a lot more like opening a safe than the newer models. Some of the new ones are basically as easy as flipping the right circuit breakers and pushing the right button.

Even if you were able to start a locomotive you wouldn't get very far with the correct equipment. There is actually a removable lever that most engineers will take with them that enables the engine to go forward or backwards. If you don't have that all you can do is sit on a big air compressor.

I'll say!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD8cz_DOlZ0

 

[dug777]

That's a ship not a boat.
Similar to what others have said - if you know what you are doing you could get her to move but the list of things that a crew needs to do first is so long that's not going to happen.



I'll say!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD8cz_DOlZ0

Boat = a watercraft being able to be carried on another, larger, watercraft, no?

Ship = anything else self-= propelled?

Which is why even a Typhoon, Borei, Ohio or a Vanguard class 'boat' is classed as such, despite being bloody massive, as submarines started off as boat-carried and launched...I think

 

[bruceb]

Jets as mentioned no ignition key. But you won't get far before someone stops you. And unless you are on the tarmac, you need a pusher truck to turn you around. Plus it takes time to get the engines ready for use. They don't start in like 2 seconds. More like a minute or two per engine.
For trains, as mentioned, yes, there is a Forward / Reverse lever, removable, as is the Brake Handle.
And the switch stations, could easily just reroute you onto a dead siding to stop you.

 

[feralkid]

That's a ship not a boat.

Perhaps he was referring to the tugs pulling it?

:\


Or maybe those are anchor rodes, now that I see the stern line.