Helper/pusher service

[Erik PRR]

I'm considering adding helper service on my next(?) layout. It's a freelanced railroad circa 1950. To begin with only diesels, but I'm keeping the door for steam open.

Will the helper always be a pusher, or was it common that the helper was up front or in the middle?

[brokemoto]

It varied with the length of the train, the grade and a few other things.  If it were a passenger train, in most cases, the helper went on the front of the train, although the New York Central did use pushers out of Albany.  The pushers were equipped with a lever and linkage to uncouple on the fly.

If it were a long train, coupler tolerances sometimes required putting helpers mid-train. 

If you plan to cut off on the fly, usually you push.  The best way to simulate that in N scale is to use Unimate couplers on your helpers, as they will not couple unless you use the proverbial five fingered brakeman.

[up1950s]

It varied with the length of the train, the grade and a few other things.  If it were a passenger train, in most cases, the helper went on the front of the train, although the New York Central did use pushers out of Albany.  The pushers were equipped with a lever and linkage to uncouple on the fly.

If it were a long train, coupler tolerances sometimes required putting helpers mid-train. 

If you plan to cut off on the fly, usually you push.  The best way to simulate that in N scale is to use Unimate couplers on your helpers, as they will not couple unless you use the proverbial five fingered brakeman.

A delicate operation that requires deft dexterity only found in the hand that wipes our butts .

[PiperguyUMD]

No steam 

 

[JMaurer1]

It also depended on the railroad. With the Southern Pacific, they would USUALLY add helpers to the front of passenger trains (faster and easier to cut in and out) but would add helpers mid train or just in front of the caboose on freight trains. What ever you decide to do, you will need to make sure that all of your units are speed matched the same or you will end up with problems (especially if you are running mid or rear train helpers).

[C855B]

No steam 

 

Helper cut-in behind a tank car? I'd hazard a guess it didn't contain corn syrup. 

[superchief]

I have had helper service now for a couple of years on the Santa Fe-All the Way, and it is a lot of fun. I run 1953 so we have both steam and diesel both are very light engines or have been de-rated so they only push a little. Most of my freights have ABBA f units on the front, there I have removed the motors and worm gears out of the last two units so they will stall on the hill without the helpers, but they pull fine on flat - no grade areas. I have a separate crew run the helpers and it requires the head end and helper crews talk to each other to get the train over the hill. It slows the mainline down a bit and adds a lot of funs to operations, give it a try!!!
                            Gordon Bliss / Santa Fe - All the Way

[wm3798]

There's two things to factor in.  The prototype practice you want to simulate, and the practical limitations of N scale physics.
I had a helper that I used to shove long (25-30 cars) trains up a 32" 3-turn helix out of staging.  Obviously not a proto scenario, but a real need in N scale. 
I used a pair of Life Like FA2s that had a pocket switch down in the staging yard.  As the caboose passed the pocket switch, I would creep the helpers out to provide the shove.
To prevent derailment, and facilitate separation at the top of the helix, I installed a broken Micro Trains coupler that had a trip pin and a "thumb" but no knuckle.  There was enough surface to apply pressure to the caboose coupler without actually coupling.  At the top, I would simply reverse the direction of the helper on the fly.  The FAs would retreat down the helix and into the pocket to wait for the next train.

[brokemoto]

I used a pair of Life Like FA2s

That is an excellent job for those things, especially the plastic frames.

[Erik PRR]

Thanks for your answers!

[wm3798]

Mine were the later split frames.  The old "lead sled" models could be a little iffy if the pick up wires got loose from the trucks.

And for clarity, the broken knuckle was on the lead helper engine, and the couplers on the cabeese were all body mounted.

I might have video of the operation somewhere... I'll have to dig around my old Youtube account.

Lee

[wm3798]

Digging done dug.

I don't actually have the pushers in the scene, but at about 3:44 you can see a train coming up the helix.  I probably dispensed with the helper since I was focusing on keeping several trains and a video camera running...  But you get the general idea.

Lee

[Cajonpassfan]

...
I don't actually have the pushers in the scene, but at about 3:44 you can see a train coming up the helix.  I probably dispensed with the helper since I was focusing on keeping several trains and a video camera running...
Lee

Lee, musta been hard to do all that and play that mean piano!
Thanks for sharing, neat!
Otto

[dougnelson]

Eric:

On the PRR, passenger trains always had their helpers on the front of the train, both during steam and diesel.  Typically passenger trains only had helpers westbound out of Altoona and they cut off right just west of the Gallitzin tunnel.  There was a little shack in the cut where a man sat - his only job to pull the cut lever on the helpers.  Loneliest job on the PRR. 

Freight trains more often had helpers on the rear - both steam and diesel.  They typically ran helpers (AKA snappers on the PRR) in both directions between Altoona and Johnstown.  If you are following PRR practice, the PRR did not use mid-train helpers as seen in the WM video.

And **Bonus** if you are sticking with diesel you will have a use for those Centipedes!  They worked in helper service over the mountain.

[jpwisc]

Be conscious of your caboose construction. Manybrarly cabooses weren't build to handle much stress. The engines would be cut in ahead of these cabooses. Later cabooses were built with more rigid steel frames and the engines could be added behind them and cut on the fly.