Newb Question: Reversing locomotives on short lines

[wklang]

Feel a bit embarrassed asking this....

In a semi-prototypical short-run operation where trains run from say a loggin camp to a sawmill or a coal mine to a power station, how are trains/locomotives(in the steam era; in the diesel era) reversed?

I ask this because on a route I'm developing (for my personal learning) I have a logging camp supplying a sawmill in a small town,, a coal mine supplying a power station, and a cattle feed lot supplying a meat packing plant. Each of these short routes is on the order of 10 -20 miles.

It doesn't seem prototypical or cost effective for a railroad to have turntables at each end of each route.

It's fairly easy to provide a short length of double track at each end to allow the locomotive to run around to the other end of the train for the return trip. But in this case the locomotive would be operating in reverse on one of the trips.

Did/do locomotives operate backwards pulling a train on short runs in either the steam or diesel eras?

 

[Sek_Hakuna]

If space is available, I will put a wye in at some point to allow an engine reversal. Otherwise it gets a turntable or the engine runs backwards.

 

[jmeinig]

In the modern (diesel) era, there are commonly locomotives running in reverse in many different places, however, you rarely see a steamer pull a train backwards. But! I have a solution, use a wye. A wye is a triangle of track with lengths of track a each point, and then have one or more of those lengths of track attack to the mainline.

 

[NIARTcar]

the two major methods I can think of are to use:

a wye

or a teardrop (second and third to last designs below)

otherwise, you may choose to use runarounds and keep the locomotives faceing the same direction, just at different positions in the train.

cheers

 

[Mart1001]

oOo...a wye...so that's what it's called. Yep, that's the method I most like to use.....I actually thought it was my own invention hehe

 

[cascaderailroad]

On the Strasburg RR the steam loco does run in reverse back from Leaman Place to Strasburg. At Leaman Place it runs around it's train an couples on the rear. Usually a flagman rides the tender and gives hand signals to the engineer who is facing backwards. Now they use radio and cell phones on some RR's.

Some times a loco pulls a running switch movement (on the fly), shoving a car up a spur, and quickly uncouples. The conductor quickly throws the switch, and the loco goes running by the spur, then the conductor throws the switch again, and when the car comes rolling back out under the brakemans handbraking, and the engine couples on to the opposite end of the traincar.

In Bellefonte Pa the steam loco always ran backwards on the return trip.

Southern Rwy always ran high hoods in reverse, long hood forward, for crash protection.

 

[sniper297]

Americans call it a "wye", the Brits call it a "triangle", dunno what Aussies call it. Running a steamer with a tender backwards for long distances wasn't really a problem provided the curves weren't too sharp and the speed was low. With a logging railroad you'd often see the geared Shay or tank engines.

For the diesel era, one reason you don't see as many turntables on US railroads these days is because of the "MU", or Multiple Units. Common practice is to couple engines back to back;

So when the train reaches the end of the line, all the crew has to do is move into the other engine to be facing the right way. That works in Trainz, you just need to hit the 1 to jump into the cabview after changing engines to let the game know which way is "front".

 

[wklang]

I want to thank everyone for your input.

As you can tell by my question, I like to watch trains.....but I've never given much thought to the practical aspects of operating them.

Wes

 

[backyard]

In your area...

When you mention logging railroads that use geared Shay type locomotives, you'll notice a headlight on the rear of the tender...

Most of the time, there is no room for a turning wye on the mountain at the load-out, so it was common to run backwards.

Placing the locomotive on the downhill end of the train prevents breakaways. This can happen when a coupler fails, or on uneven track.

Usually the geared locomotives had a short tender, so it wasn't always a lean-out the window deal, however the loads were sometimes stacked high.

Steam or Diesel, they run equally well in both directions, but sometimes our AI Drivers don't do that well...:hehe:

 

[Mick_Berg]

In pre-WW2 England, "push-pulls" were popular. There was a cab in the end coach, and the steam loco could be controlled from there when going "in reverse". In this mode the loco would be travelling backwards, pushing the train. And they still do this on Metrolink in Los Angeles, with tragic results.
Mick Berg.

 

[olyrailman]

I know that in Western Nebraska UP hauls a lot of coal from Wyoming and you see a lot of consits with 3 or 4 Locos on one end and 1 or 2 Locos on the other end...

 

[whyfly2]

Hello wklang,

I did the teardrop loops on my modified version of the Marias Pass Approach in TRS2006. I found out very quickly that there's a lot to learn about laying track if the terrain is not level. Keep a handy access to the Trainz manual if you do the teardrop approach. Also, save your work as you progress in case you make a mess along the way. Don't want to lose all of your work!

Art