loco motions

[NW Mailing List]

Well crap, now Jim has me thinking about this.
How busy were some of these branches? I believe that the Dry Fork was one
of the biggest coal producers, so I wonder how many train movements
occurred each day - from the context of blocking the main, as Jim
mentioned.  I realize a lot of the larger tipples would have plenty of
track, but I assume the smaller ones didn't necessarily have that. I'm
going to have to look through the Dry Fork Branch book and see what I can
figure out. Any other resources that might help?

Mike Rector

On Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 11:07 AM NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
wrote:

> Thanks Jimmy and Chris,
> Jimmy thanks for the album picture.  This causes me to ask how the run
> consist changed as deliveries/pickups were made.  At first, it was all
> empties sandwiched between headend and rear end locos.  As they picked up
> loads, did they put them between the locos with  the remaining empties, or
> did they stick them on one end or the other.
> Also, how did the movements differ when a coal operation had two switches
> off the main (? a siding?)?  First the whole movement might be able to
> clear the main which would help the flow of traffic, and Second, it seems
> like fewer movements might be required to make the needed drop offs and
> pick ups.  Was less reverse running involved in servicing operations with
> this type of track configuration?
> I assume that running a locomotive in the forward direction was/is safer
> than running it in reverse due to visibility and perhaps other factors that
> I am ignorant of.  So this whole discussion is perhaps about how reverse
> movements were minimized during these operations.  Or did it matter that
> much?  Did they just do what was most expedient to get the empties in and
> the loads out?
> Thanks again,
> Jim Cochran
>
> On Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Jim,
>> Note the illustration on the liner notes of Link's "2nd Pigeon and the
>> Mockingbird" album (note smoke direction!)
>>
>> Also,  there is a video out there, I  don't remember which one, showing
>> the backward running.
>>
>> Jimmy Lisle
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
>>
>>
>> -------- Original message --------
>> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Date: 11/17/25 9:07 AM (GMT-05:00)
>> To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
>> Subject: loco motions
>>
>> If I am remembering correctly the things I have read heard in the past
>> indicate that a mine servicing run (was this called a turn?) in the part of
>> the Pokey in which I am most interested, would begin with a train
>> comprising a string of empty hoppers sandwiched between a couple
>> locomotives, one of which was facing West while the other faced East.
>>
>> From my meager understanding, there were two typical track arrangements
>> for tipple sidings. They both began with a turnout off the main line
>> followed by additional turnouts whose number varied according to things
>> like the number of sized of coal produced, storage track configuration,
>> run-around track, re-connection to the main, etc.
>>
>> In one example, a coal operation would have only one turnout on the main.
>> This would necessitate one of locomotives with a cut of empties to cut off
>> from the rest of the (?turn/job/movement?) and move the empties into the
>> mine trackage. Did the rest of the train remain on the main in the rain
>> blocking other traffic? Also, was there a preference for whether the
>> servicing unit proceeded moving forward or in reverse for this part of the
>> operation? If there were no run-around track at the mine, the locomotive
>> would have to push his empties past the tipple for gravity feeding
>> purposes, cut them loose after sufficient brakes had been set, move back
>> down to where this mine's loads had been stored, couple up, move this
>> string down to the main, reattach to the rest of the turn and move on down
>> to the next operation.
>>
>> This account contains much conjecture on my part, and my purpose is to
>> learn how things really worked such as when those locomotives were run
>> forward and when they ran in reverse along with other specifics of the
>> operations along my most beloved portion of the Pokey.
>>
>> If this is of interest to others or I get response (Grant, hint, hint), I
>> will follow up with additional questions and conjecture.
>>
>> Jim Cochran
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