Top-And-Tailing Anyone?
Author: [ET] That Genset Foamer
Date: 03-03-2015 - 15:47
A more feasible solution would involve putting locomotives at either end of the consist, a practice known among UK enthusiasts as 'Top and Tailing'. I've seen Metrolink sets running top-and-tailed before, when there was a cabcar shortage in 2011, as well as when equipment breaks down and a protect unit needs to pinch-hit on the consist but is facing the wrong way. If fuel consumption poses a problem in this situation something like a Hotstart system / isolation system could be built into the set to cut out the trailing unit.
Also, an added benefit is if one locomotive goes belly-up, there's some redundancy and the second unit can be cut in.