[Fatboy Coxy]

Hi all

Hope you don’t take offense, I’m not a train modeller, and only have a passing interest in trains, but I’m writing a story about Malaya 1941-42, and would like to ask some questions. The FMSR (Federated Malay States Railway) ran the railway in Malaya, on a metre gauge network, which was mainly single line working. So, at the end of a journey, there would have to be a turntable or a loop, to turn the engine around. But if not, then I guess an engine would have to reverse back.

So, question, can a steam engine reverse as fast as it can go forward, and I’m only expecting speeds of 30-40 mph as a max, quite possibly slower, and how do you switch the drive into reverse on a steam engine