Train Reversal into Terminus
 

I often wonder how little I know of Railways, although I love them.
I have read on a book for the first time that American Passenger Locomotive-hauled Trains do not enter a Terminus directly, but rather go into a "wye", and then reverse with the Tail/Observation Car leading into the Terminus.
The book is in Italian, for the record its title is "L'epopea del treno" (the marking of train epochs).
On this book there are two pictures of the LNER Coronation train of 1937, showing the Tail-car inside and out.
My question then is: did this train also reverse into the Terminus?
What was British practice for this operation?
Now I tell you what I believed prior to reading the above: the train went straight through, passengers alighted, then the train was sent backwards in a reversing loop under the mainline and set ready for the return trip.
Well, this was the practice on the Melbourne Model Railway Society great layout, when I lived down under 30 years ago.
By the way, does any of you have the book THE WORLD OF MODEL TRAINS by Guy R.Williams (Autumn 1970) ? Read the piece on the great MMRS.

That's a hell of a good question Dario. I don't think that there is a 'wye' outside of Kings Cross, so I suppose that the 'beaver tail' was detached from the rest of the stock and turned on a turntable. I've never read anything about it though, so I'm only guessing.

The observation coach used on the West Highland betwen Fort William and Mallaig was turned on the turntable. There are several published photos showing this .

I'm no expert but UK steam practice at termini was to run the whole train in to the buffers (not literally!) Then a station pilot loco would haul the empty carriages off to carriage sidings (sometimes miles away) for servicing, which would release the mainline loco to go off to a separate loco depot.

For Departures a new set of carriages was brought in from the carriage sidings (having the observation car shunted and turned to be at the right end of the train) The station pilot loco would sit at the bufferstop until the main line loco backed on to the tain at the other end. On depature of the train the station pilot loco sometimes acted as a banker.

Many termini had serarate arrivals platforms and departure platforms and there was all this crazy shunting up and down of empty stock to and from the carriage sidings. Why have only two movements per arrival/departure when you can have eight?;)

'Cos it was much more fun to watch! :D

Thank you fellows for your most valuable contributions.
So the practice of shunting coaches etc in 8 movements is still common here in Italy, at least, until they will have all unit-trains with driving coaches.
I suggest the reason was, on national railways as against private companies in the States: it provided more work for more people, no matter how long it takes.

.......and if it was good enough for George Stephenson and Brunel, it was good enough for British Railways.

.......until the advent of almost all passenger services being in the hands of glorified bog carts.

I would like to see this forum (not just this thread) revitalized and not dying.
Is it ever possible there is such lack of ideas about trains?
....just derailed people?
I dont want an answer below.
I want to read news about trains:

I beleive that in Paris Auzterlitz, after arrival the loco is detached from the train and advances a few meters. A new loco then comes and is coupled to the other end of the train to form the departing service. Once the train has departed, the track is free for the original loco to leave the station towards some sidings where it will await its next train. Quite economical!

In Hungary (Budapest to be precise) ECS is usually propelled into the platform with a shunter on the step of the lead coach giving instructions to the driver by radio. When some international trains are re-marshalled coaches with passengers on board are often taken out of the station and then reversed back onto the appropriate train taking them onwards, again a shunter in control from the step.

This was standard practice at Zurich Hbf up until a few years ago, I recall watching numerous locomotives standing off in the yards waiting to instructed to go to the head of their train. It can still be observed to some degree but mainly limited now to Cisalpino services.

The process described by PATLUCAS is the standard practice in all European Countries, I believe. The original loco would not necessarily go to its next duty, but straight to the depot if off duty.
As for the Cisalpino services mentioned by ALBULA, let's say there are two kinds: 1. Cisalpino emu which of course are reversible; 2. Rake of coaches which are not fitted with "Multiple Unit" controls, and must be loco-hauled.

There's an another system. The loco is detached fron the train and advances a few meters. It take an small switch, the loco is found on the way right at side and it go to an another switch for going in front of the train.
This system is used in off-peak hours. This is rare, but that exists

gros-beta,
This system using a "runround loop" was once very common in Great Britain but now there are only a few places where it is used.
It is a very slow operation and requires expensive pointwork (switches).

Take me back to when I remember seeing a class 47 reversing towards the other end of it's Virgin Trains stock at Piccadilly many years ago. Very unlikely to get that again unless there is a single loco hauled charter.

slightley different, but in Killarney Co Kerry the train from Dublin arrives, decants/picks up passengers, then reverses out of the station and "turns right" before continuing its journey to Tralee....in the opposite direction, it passes the station and reverses in to the platform...

Limerick Junction (20 odd miles from Limerick and more or less in Tipperary actually) once upon a time EVERY train had to reverse at some stage....some still have to I think.

Having just watched the Dvd "west Highland " i can confim the tail end observation car was turned manually on aT/T . very nice film this one by the way/:)

Not so long ago, on a 158 from Kyle to Inverness, the train went past Inverness then reversed back into the station. The conductor made an announcement to this effect, as it was going to form the next Elgin / Aberdeen service.

signol