3 ms·
The tender is much lighter, and shorter, so it is at increased risk of derailment when running right at the front of the train. Locomotives can of course run b
by jonp888 5y ago
The tender is much lighter, and shorter, so it is at increased risk of derailment when running right at the front of the train.
Locomotives can of course run backwards for long distances if required, but generally they have two top speeds - a higher one for forward running and a lower one for backwards.
- stickfigure 5y agoDo you have some reference you can point me at? It seems pretty common these days to run commuter trains at fairly high speeds with the engine pushing at the end of the train. And a (not-empty) tender is much heavier than a passenger car.
- jonp888 5y agoThe German BR01 Lokomotive can travel 75mph forwards but only 30mph backwards: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DRG_Class_01 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DRG_Class_01 The difference with a passenger car is that the wheels on a car are mounted on a bogie which can swing independent of the car body. The front wheels of a steam loco are also usually able to swing from side to side. This helps it enter and exit curves without derailing. A tender(at least in the Styles used in Europe) is too short for this.
- jonnycomputer 5y agoAh, that makes sense too.