Hey!
I was just wondering, in the old days, did they ever run steam in the forward-backwards formation? I only see the forward-forward formations in photos.
Thanks!!
If you mean using the helper locomotive in reverse, it occasionally happened, but not very often. On the SP Napa Branch from Suisun to Napa in Northern California, they often ran a 2-10-2 helper backwards on the rear end of the train northward, then used the reverse helper as the lead locomotive when they ran the train back south toward the junction at Suisun. That’s about the only ‘reverse helper’ situation I can think of right off the top of my head.
Tom
things like doubleheading…not really, since there were turntables where needed they would always keep the engine forward.
Pusher service backwards, not sure how the tender could handle the pressures.
Keeping the engineer on the forward signal side was importnant.
as above the possibilities were there.
Engines running tender first often had speed restrictions in the 10-20 mph range.
Dave H.
Wow, can you imagine the cab full of smoke and cinders the second loco. would scoop in? That would put a sudden wind change at the B.B.Q. to shame! lol
I remember helpers pushing backwards at the end of a drag then waiting about 15 minutes when he would come ripping back downhill, I really think these guys did this for fun just to see how fast they could go in that switcher back to the yard.