Changing ends & signalling at terminal stations

[Taunton]

At peak times (Paddington at least) big engines were needed to move ECS before/after main line jobs and it avoided light loco moves too. In fact, light locos were barred at the GE’s London end in the peaks.

This is why there are many photographs of trains at Paddington with a main line loco facing the "wrong" way at the buffers, outwards, with a train ahead of it. A loco for a main line departure would be used to bring in a previous ECS from Old Oak, facing outwards, tender first, and would sit as such on the stops until it departed, when it would move around to the head of its own main line train. This saved various light loco movements, and indeed saved a number of pilot locos.

Liverpool Lime Street in the 1960s was notable for a similar approach, where an outbound York express, still being hauled by a Jubilee, would have the stock brought in from sidings by a 25kV electric loco, which would later haul its own Euston train, the stock of which in turn was brought in by a Jinty 0-6-0T tank. The electric loco was maybe unable to heat the York train until the Jubilee came on, and relied on residual heat from the static heat installation at Edge Hill, whereas the Jinty steam heated the London train until the main loco came on and started electric heat.

 

[30907]

At Waterloo the train would come in, a loco would come out of the sidings and attach to the rear (which would be the front on departure), the train departs (after cleaning, tanking, etc.) behind the second loco, the loco that brought the train in goes out to the loco sidings and waits there until it drops on to the next train when it arrives. At Waterloo locos mostly went back out on the next train: elsewhere they might go to shed for servicing instead and another would come off shed for the next train.

That pattern went back to the steam era - while main line stock was taken out to Clapham Yard for cleaning and re-forming, the semi-fasts turned round in the platform (as did main line trains on summer Saturdays, with a 30-40 minute turnround).
In the diesel era, shunt release was not unknown if Waterloo didn't have a spare 50 (or Warship) to work to Exeter.

 

[jfollows]

At Manchester Piccadilly in the 1970s there was only one regular use for the crossover between platforms 5&6, which was to release the engine inbound from Harwich to run it round the stock for the 15:15 return to Harwich. The stock occupied platform 5 for a long time and required platform 6 to be empty during the run-round.

Careful planning of electric engines was necessary because an inbound locomotive on a service from London might subsequently be used on a Birmingham service, and at the time many of the Birmingham services were vacuum braked and couldn’t use a class 87.

The Midland Engine siding is still there, between the fast and slow lines outside Mayfield. Fairly rusty these days, though. Back then it’s where electric locomotives waited between turns, having run along the platform behind the departing train as described.

There had been an East Engine siding but that disappeared before my time, presumably when DC electric services from Sheffield stopped in 1970.

 

[75A]

My recollection is that they were normally a turnover loco, which went to Fratton and back because there was not really anywhere to hold it at Harbour.

Locos could also refuel & do a crew change & Fratton.
When we had a Sunday Evening turn from Portsmouth Harbour to New Cross Gate we'd go 'Pass' to Fratton, pick up a Crompton and go 'light' to the Harbour to pick up our train.

 

[StephenHunter]

Until remodelling in the late 80s, Liverpool Street had at least one loco siding just off the platform ends - possibly a relic from the "Jazz" service which needed a quick turnaround of loco-hauled suburban services before electrification.

It also had a track going into the basement of the Great Eastern Hotel for goods in and out of there.

 

[Ken H]

Bradfor Interchage had a release line. I suspect the scale of passenger operations there didnt justify a pilot - but thats just a guess.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Bradfor Interchage had a release line. I suspect the scale of passenger operations there didnt justify a pilot - but thats just a guess.

It's still there, next to platform 1. Its main use was for parcels traffic; in the 80s/early 90s there was a daily parcels working. The loco would run round there and then shunt the stock out and propel it back into the siding next to platform 4, where it would stable during the day.

There was a pilot in the area in the early to mid 80s, it worked at Springmill Street goods and did trips to Laisterdyke and I believe it could/did work at the Interchange if required. IIRC it was abolished when Hammerton Street depot closed c.1984/5. After that train engines sorted out their own workings.

The loco release line is still occasionally used when the Laisterdyke scrap train operates, although I believe that hasn't run for a while.

 

[Whisky Papa]

It's still there, next to platform 1. Its main use was for parcels traffic; in the 80s/early 90s there was a daily parcels working. The loco would run round there and then shunt the stock out and propel it back into the siding next to platform 4, where it would stable during the day.

There was a pilot in the area in the early to mid 80s, it worked at Springmill Street goods and did trips to Laisterdyke and I believe it could/did work at the Interchange if required. IIRC it was abolished when Hammerton Street depot closed c.1984/5. After that train engines sorted out their own workings.

The loco release line is still occasionally used when the Laisterdyke scrap train operates, although I believe that hasn't run for a while.

I recall the release line being used once for a steam railtour during the years I worked at Bradford Interchange, a late autumn or winter Saturday in (probably) 2016 or 2017. I seem to have lost the only rather poor photo I took, it was not easy from the platform due to the low sun. A Black Five, perhaps?