How does it work at terminus stations?
This may sound like a dumb question, but I've been thinking about adding a terminus station ("Kopfbahnhof" or "Endbahnhof" in German) and realized I don't know how an exchange of locomotives works. The original locomotive pulls the train into the station and stops at the platform. Am I right in thinking the new locomotive is coupled to the other end of the train, and pulls the train away, leaving the uncoupled original locomotive behind, which then makes its way to the engine yard? I'm particularly interested in the DB prototype in the early 1970s. Thanks in advance Tom

Hi Tom, The answer lies in whether the train has a driving trailer, whether the station is the final stop for the train or whether it is passing trhough. I dont know a lot about the use of locomotives for this period, but it seems logical that if there was a loco depot of some sort then "trains" could have locomotives swapped. I suppose a lot depends on how big your termnus station is going to be. If it is a 1 Platorm effort then the locomotive would run around the train if steam hauled. 5 plus platform roads and IC/Regional express would likely have their locomotive changed. Local passenger trains would probably have the locomotive change ends. As they say anything is possible. Trust this helps. John

In the Frankfurt am Main (FFM) Kopfbahnhof, IC's or EC's would pull into the station and the lok would uncouple from the train. A new lok would couple on to the tail end of the train. When the train departed, the uncoupled lok would follow it out of the station to the BW.

Thanks everyone. Your replies have been very helpful, as always. Cheers Tom

And to add some: Another option, if the train isn't going to depart soon after arrival, is to have a small shunter loco remove the coaches to let the big loco out. Cheers Olle

...and even more. If the train had 'kurswagen' (through coaches) at the head of the train when it entered the station, these would be shunted out (after the main part of the original train had departed) by the original train loco. Later would be picked up by the 'new' train loco and pushed back onto the tail end of the 'new' train. All the while the passengers in these 'Kurswagen' could be shunted around the station. This didn't happen often if the trains were correctly assembled at their originating station , but this was sometimes unavoidable. Complicated, I know, but it makes for interesting possibilities if you are modelling a large terminus. Another thing I just remembered, at Stuttgart Hbf the trains left the station on an incline. The 'incoming' locomotive (plus any carriages which were terminating there) would help by pushing the departing train out of the station before slowing and releasing the outgoing train. NB: this was before the arrival of the stronger E-Loks. best wishes

Thanks for the interesting suggestions, Olle and Peter. Now that I have so many possibilities, I wonder how the departure signalization (Ausfahrtsignal) works at a terminus. I imagine that the "new" loc is given a green signal Hp1 to depart the station, then the signal goes to shunting Hp0/Sh1 to allow the "old" loc to leave and any other shunting operations to take place, then to red Hp0 until the track receives its next inbound train. Is this anywhere near reality for DB in the mid-1970s? Tom

Tom, After the green, which allows the main train to depart, the single loco would have to wait at red until the correct route is switched to the sidings. When this route is set and there are no conflicting movements, the shunting signal Sh1 would allow that loco to leave the station.

Alan, just as a point of clarification, let me see if I understand the order of things with main and shunting signals. First, it is never permissible to pass a shunting signal at stop (without special orders). Second, in the absence of a shunting signal, it is not permissible to pass a main signal at stop. Third, when a main and shunting signal are together, a shunting movement may pass the stop main signal, providing the shunting signal is cleared, but mainline movements may not depart until the main signal is cleared as well. Fourth, under no circumstances can a main signal show clear when the shunting signal shows stop. (Or at least if it does, no movement can pass the signals until the shunting signal is cleared as well.) Any corrections or clarifications would be most appreciated. Jurgen

I was thinking more of Era III style with form signals or even early light signals, where the shunting and main signals were separate structures. I imagine in older interlocking systems it simply wouldn't allow clearing the main signal without the shunting signal being clear as well. Jurgen

Hi Jurgen, my understanding of your form signal example with a shunting signal directly in front of a block signal is the same as yours. If the shunting signal shows "stop", what the block signal shows is irrelevant. Nothing may pass. I believe this is because the shunting signal is really a line-close signal (German: Sperrsignal) which means that no train traffic whatsoever may pass it when it is closed. But Alan is also correct about the impossibility of contradictory signals with the newer light signals. These are the ones I plan to use on the main station of my layout. My branch line station will eventually get form signals, however, with co-located shunting and block signals exactly as you've described. Isn't it fine when someone else has the same understanding of something as you? :) Cheers Tom

Hi Tom, Main signal clear aspects are NOT valid for shunting movements, but main signal stop aspects are unless overridden by a Hp 0+Sh 1 combination, i.e. a permission to proceed for shunting movements is only given by shunting/line-close signals A better explanation can be read here. http://joernpachl.gmxhome.de/German_principles.htm#stations I think the key point is to not look a specific signal in isolation but look at the signalling plan as a whole. John

Hi John, Thanks for the clarification. I was indeed under the misconception that a main signal "green" was valid for both train movements (Zugfahrt) and shunting movements (Rangierfahrt). Now I am a little bit wiser. Cheers Tom