Another aspect to this that doesn't get mentioned often, is the entrenched mindset that was in place on the railroads when diesels came on the scene. With steam locomotives, the railroad had essentially been running "long hood forward" for decades. The mind-set was that the crew belonged at the back of the locomotive.
As the advantages of the diesel became known, the ability to run short hood forward and provide increased visibility to the crew was realized. Slowly the mind set changed to where a low, short hood forward locomotive became the standard.
