Model Forum / General / Railroads / August 2007

Better chance of derailing as well, since the lead truck is designed to
guide the locomotive into curves and the trailing truck is not.

Even secondary lines had turntables for turning the locomotives at
locations where they would be most frequently needed, such as the end of
helper districts and similar out of the way locations.

Due to the cost, logging lines tended to not have any turning tracks
because their locomotives tended to be geared engines that could operate
just as well going forward as in reverse.  This is almost always not the
case for rod locomotives.  Some of the lines used baloon tracks to turn
entire trains, but that was generally at the end of the line at the mill,
where they would dump one car and then pull forward, etc.

It is true a few of the logging lines operated larger rod locomotives,
they were still faced with the increased chance of derailment if the
trailing truck was not designed to lead the locomotive into curves.  Some
of the 2-8-2T locomotives and similar were designed to operate in both
directions, but I'm not sure they didn't suffer from an increased chance
of derailment.  Since speeds were slow and derailments common on the
logging lines, I'm not sure that they cared too much.

It is also much easier to create a control system for a wye than just
about anything else.

For DC: Take the middle leg of the wye and put a double pole double throw
switch on it, and insulate it from the rest of the railroad.  Wire it to
provide reverse polarity in one position and forward polarity in the
other.  Rather than reverse the locomotive at the controller, reverse it
at the wye switch.

For DCC. this becomes even more simple.

CN and C of NJ, had 4-6-4T engines designed for bi-directional running
in commuter service. This was uncommon though for large class 1
railroads.  However short lines and branch lines all over North
America had places where turning facilities did not exist. Speeds were
usually slow so running in reverse with the tender leading was not a
huge concern. An engine without a trailing truck, like your mogul
would certainly be restricted in speed running this way, but as long
as the proper flags or class lights were displayed on the tender when
leading it was not that unusual.

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/steamtown/shs3a.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/CENTRAL-RAILROAD-OF-NEW-JERSEY-CNJ-4-6-4T-STEAM-LOCO_W0QQite
mZ190143193458QQcmdZViewItem

I may have shared this story with the group previously, but I used to visit
with Dr. Boyd Travis in Bluffton, Ohio.  He was quite the train enthusiast
and had a very nice layout in his basement.  He used to tell the story of
the 2-6-6-6 Alleghenies that were built in Lima, about fifteen miles
southwest of Bluffton.  It seems that the tracks of the erecting sheds in
Lima faced south.  The Alleghenies were too long to take a ride on the Lima
Locomotive Works turntable, so they were run out onto the NKP line, then run
backwards through Bluffton, Findlay and up to Fostoria where they were
turned on the wye if necessary, then sent on their way.

He was also the local surgeon and a bit of a practical joker.  The small
hospital in Bluffton was located close to the railroad tracks.  If he
happened to have a new nurse in surgery with him and would hear an engine
coming (he could tell from the whistle), he would look at the nurse and say
something like, "You're going to have to finish up here. There's a new train
coming that I want to see!"

dlm