In the 2 previous examples, right english was running and left english was reverse. How did I determine this? Face the rail the CB is going to contact. If the CB is traveling to the right as you face the rail, right english is running and left english is reverse. If the CB is traveling to the left as you face the rail, left english is running and right english is reverse. It’s important to keep in mind that running and reverse english are determined relative to the rail the CB is going to contact. Look at this diagram.
In this diagram, I’ve numbered the rails using balls. The left rail is 1, top is 2, right is 3, and bottom is 4. In this example, I’m using right english to alter the natural path of the CB. Facing rail 1, the CB moves right, therefore right english is running english. When the CB strikes rail 1, it is with running english, so the angle opens. Facing rail 2, the CB moves to the right, therefore right english is running english. When the CB strikes rail 2, it is with running english, so the angle opens. Facing rail 4, the CB moves to the LEFT, therefore right english is reverse english. When the CB strikes rail 4, it is with reverse english, so the angle closes. Remember that running and reverse are determined relative to the rail.
