Terminus and locomotive hauled trains

pogbellies

New member
I've never noticed how this works in reality but if an ai loco hauled train drives into a terminus, how does it go back to the other end with no runaround loop and can this be achieved in Trainz?
 
You would need some form of runaround loop to do it in Trainz, like in real life (although what usually happens in real life and Trainz is that the engine pushes the train out of the station rather than pulling it).

Shane
 
The other possibility is that another locomotive comes from a nearby yard, couples to the train and leaves with that train. The locomotive that brought the train in then goes to the yard, is turned and refuelled ready for another turn latter on.
 
Where I live, there were once loop tracks setup to turn the train consists around to put the engine on the front and ready to pull out of the terminal.

Here's one with a small pond in the middle affectionately called Loop Pond that is no longer used on the Rockport branch.

http://binged.it/1cRD2zd

The ROW that disappears into the grass in the front actually runs around the pond along a hill and exits at the top. This was used until the B&M converted to Budd RDCs (DMUs) for their passenger run up to Rockport.

John
 
A train arrives at a terminus and is uncoupled. Another engine will then couple to the other end ready to depart. The uncoupled engine will then go to a yard or a siding to attach to another train. This is easily done in trainz with a few extra commands, I use the "post message" and "wait for message and clear" commands. This I do a lot with steam engines, it uncouples and then goes for water and coal and may be turned around for its return journey. A long turn around you could use a small shunter to pull the coaches out of the station to allow the engine to get out and then put the coaches back in again. A quick turn around just use another engine attached to the rear ready to leave.
 
John, with a lot of pushes of the + key I managed to trace the runaround loop through the trees! Seems a rather...hmm...inefficient way of doing things though? Would a small parallel loop with possibly a turntable not suffice, as is generally found in the UK? I don't know of a single loop in the UK with a formation like that, apart from the Oldham Loop Line which ran from Manchester Victoria to Manchester Victoria via Oldham and Rochdale, but that was a complete railway of its own, branching off the Caldervale line to Leeds and then re-joining further up, facing the opposite way (i.e. back towards Manchester Victoria)! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldham_Loop_Line

I must admit, I've never given it much consideration. I thought all termini with steam/diesel locomotive operations had runaround loops at one point. I know Manchester Piccadilly used to have them on all platforms. I believe there still is one on Platform 5-6, presumably from when Virgin used to haul Class 86's up from Euston before the Pendo's arrived in '02... :o

Push-pull rules :)
 
Jack,

I agree it was somewhat inefficient, but as far as I know, this is the only branch that had this. I don't recall seeing any signs of a turntable on this line, but the space where the terminus is located is pretty tight with the multiple passenger tracks and freight house. Both the New Haven/Boston and Albany built one of these loops at Boston's South Station. This may have been used to turn the big passenger consists such as the Senator, New England States Limited, or Lakeshore Limited that came in. There were once big coaching yards now buried under high rise office buildings and a highway located a bit south. All of that is gone but the loop still exists. There was a similar loop at North Station in Boston that once served the Boston and Maine (B&M), and visiting roads.

Here's the South Station loop:

http://binged.it/1iavRYh

The site of the North Station loop.
http://binged.it/1cRVckr

This is now the MBTA CR engine and train terminal. The old loop used to go around the old roundhouse located on this site.

What's odd is I never remember seeing escape tracks that these terminals for the engines to leave. Maybe the process was to pull in engine first, uncouple the engine and turn the train while the engine was sent to the engine facility for maintenance before everything was setup again for outbound service.

Sadly, much of this took place long before I could remember as the long distance trains disappeared before I knew any better from the north side and this became a commuter station.

South Station even had an earlier loop built right under and around the station. This was used to turn commuter trains which stopped on a lower level. When service ended I can't remember, but the loop was long forgotten until some construction was being done down there for the infamous Big Dig and one of the loop tracks was rediscovered. The track was still in place, but can no longer be used because the radius and tunnels are too tight for modern equipment.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa26/veryunusual/SouthStation1904.jpg

Here's an old picture dating back to when the station first opened. Part of the loop can be seen on the right.

John
 
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