loco motions

[NW Mailing List]

Thanks Jimmy and Chris,
Jimmy thanks for the album picture.  This causes me to ask how the run
consist changed as deliveries/pickups were made.  At first, it was all
empties sandwiched between headend and rear end locos.  As they picked up
loads, did they put them between the locos with  the remaining empties, or
did they stick them on one end or the other.
Also, how did the movements differ when a coal operation had two switches
off the main (? a siding?)?  First the whole movement might be able to
clear the main which would help the flow of traffic, and Second, it seems
like fewer movements might be required to make the needed drop offs and
pick ups.  Was less reverse running involved in servicing operations with
this type of track configuration?
I assume that running a locomotive in the forward direction was/is safer
than running it in reverse due to visibility and perhaps other factors that
I am ignorant of.  So this whole discussion is perhaps about how reverse
movements were minimized during these operations.  Or did it matter that
much?  Did they just do what was most expedient to get the empties in and
the loads out?
Thanks again,
Jim Cochran

On Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
wrote:

> Jim,
> Note the illustration on the liner notes of Link's "2nd Pigeon and the
> Mockingbird" album (note smoke direction!)
>
> Also,  there is a video out there, I  don't remember which one, showing
> the backward running.
>
> Jimmy Lisle
>
>
>
> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> Date: 11/17/25 9:07 AM (GMT-05:00)
> To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> Subject: loco motions
>
> If I am remembering correctly the things I have read heard in the past
> indicate that a mine servicing run (was this called a turn?) in the part of
> the Pokey in which I am most interested, would begin with a train
> comprising a string of empty hoppers sandwiched between a couple
> locomotives, one of which was facing West while the other faced East.
>
> From my meager understanding, there were two typical track arrangements
> for tipple sidings. They both began with a turnout off the main line
> followed by additional turnouts whose number varied according to things
> like the number of sized of coal produced, storage track configuration,
> run-around track, re-connection to the main, etc.
>
> In one example, a coal operation would have only one turnout on the main.
> This would necessitate one of locomotives with a cut of empties to cut off
> from the rest of the (?turn/job/movement?) and move the empties into the
> mine trackage. Did the rest of the train remain on the main in the rain
> blocking other traffic? Also, was there a preference for whether the
> servicing unit proceeded moving forward or in reverse for this part of the
> operation? If there were no run-around track at the mine, the locomotive
> would have to push his empties past the tipple for gravity feeding
> purposes, cut them loose after sufficient brakes had been set, move back
> down to where this mine's loads had been stored, couple up, move this
> string down to the main, reattach to the rest of the turn and move on down
> to the next operation.
>
> This account contains much conjecture on my part, and my purpose is to
> learn how things really worked such as when those locomotives were run
> forward and when they ran in reverse along with other specifics of the
> operations along my most beloved portion of the Pokey.
>
> If this is of interest to others or I get response (Grant, hint, hint), I
> will follow up with additional questions and conjecture.
>
> Jim Cochran
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