Quote:
Originally Posted by robbo
Also - modern traction is made with a cab at each end. So why all the Top & Tailing with class xx - well practically everything? Pictures usually show about 3/5 wagons of various sorts being topped/tailed when 1 loco is quite enough.
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Another reason is rapid turnround - not usually an issue for freight but at this time of year we're seeing the Water Canon and Sandite trains of the Leaf Fall treatment companies. They're constantly moving for much of the day, and all the time spent running round (and waiting for a gap in the traffic to do so) is lost productivity.
Also some companies (eg, DRS) have a top and tail policy because their major marketing point is reliability. A bit of a gamble considering that much of their traction is Heritage in the form of 20, 37 & 47, so it's prudent that they do !
I do agree that top and tailing with the highly reliable class 66 is a bit OTT, but even
they stop when the fuel tank runs dry. I gather that this has happened quite a few times but I won't mention any names.
