Bay or terminus platforms in the loco-hauled era

[LocoPower]

Hi,

I'm building a fictitious UK route in Railworks which will have a terminus station at one end of the route. It's set in the diesel loco hauled era of passenger trains, but I'm not sure how this was handled at bay or terminus platforms. I'm a long way from reaching the end of the line, but am curious as to how I should lay the track at the station.

Would there often be pointwork at the dead end of the platform, to allow the loco to detach and run around the carriages?

Or was it more normal to back the train out and remove/run-around the locomotive somewhere else? (or haul the carriages out with a shunter or second locomotive?)

[AlistairW]

From what I have seen (not that I was around back then) it was much more common at larger terminus stations to have a set of points at the buffer stop end of the platform. The train would stop, the loco be uncoupled and pull forward before reversing back over the points and out.

[Kromaatikse]

The way it is done now in Helsinki is twofold: most trains are propelled in and out of the station by the train loco, and cleaning and turnaround are done in the main yard a couple of miles away. Sometimes a second loco is brought in to reverse the train, with the original loco being freed after departure. The platforms are all plain line. (EMUs, ie. commuter trains and the local incarnation of the Pendolino, don't need this.)

However, aerial photos from the 1940s show a different platform layout with three lines between platforms, rather than the present two. There is not enough detail to discern the arrangements for releasing incoming train locos though.

I believe practice in the UK varied by location. Station pilot locos were common.

[LocoPower]

Thanks guys. I've been googling quite a bit for further information and photographs of this, although most information seems to be in model railway websites. I wasn't around either for this era, all I've known is DMUs that are super-convenient for bays and terminii. It does seem to vary by location as to how the situation was handled - I've found references to both using a runaround track at the platform, and having a shunter drag the coaches out to allow the locomotive out.

As the latter is a bit hard to do in Railworks I'll look to provide a loco release track. Fortunately I'm only making about 3-4 platforms, so it won't be too complex.

[AndyUK]

...I've found references to both using a runaround track at the platform, and having a shunter drag the coaches out to allow the locomotive out...

It was also quite common for the stock from the terminated train to form the outbound working and remain in the platform rather than being removed by a shunter. On departure the incoming loco would move from the buffers to a holding point ready to be used to haul the next outbound train. As far as I remember this method of working was commonly used at Euston in pre DVT days.

Andy L

[bigvern]

Basically as stated...

At large city terminals, even if loco release facilities were available it would be usual for the incoming stock, whether forming a departure or ECS, to receive a fresh engine on the country end. The incoming loco would then follow the stock out and either go off to the depot for servicing or sit on a holding point/siding to await the next turn of duty later in the shift.

At more remote terminals, the incoming loco would usually run round it's train and form the corresponding outgoing departure as well.

Could get quite complex at locations such as Paddington where Class 31's were used on ECS moves to and from the "Oak" but not suitable as train engines (at least if the Senior Power Controller was looking..!).

If you don't mind the cost and crude graphics, the SIAM traffic control games have a number of terminus orientated titles - try Kings Cross 1970 to see just how complex things could get. Euston 1958 is even more fiendish but largely steam orientated.