how are engines turned around when pulling into a terminal?

The Silver Star uses a wye between 36th & 38th Streets before backing into Tampa. (At least this was true on the northbound trip when I took it a few years ago. I'm not sure if southbound it is done before or after the stop.) There are of course passengers aboard for the move since the train continues from/to Miami.

Are trains originating from NYP, for Boston backed through the tunnels from Sunnyside?

jhdeasy wrote: There is a wye (location named ATANDO) at Charlotte NC, located a ways north of the station. The last time I had MOUNT VERNON on The Carolinian, the crew came on duty early in the morning at Charlotte and turned train 79's equipment into train 80 using the ATANDO wye. I will speculate that the Piedmont trains are also turned on the ATANDO wye at Charlotte.

A little OT, but as I had family in the Charlotte area (and in possession of an NS Piedmont Division timetable as I worked on VRE territory), I took a little interest in the rail history of the area. Turns out the neighborhood around the wye is called Atando Junction, but the interlocking off the main is called "AT&O"....for Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio RR, which is now the Danville District O-line to Winston-Salem. Interesting stuff.

In Pgh, 43 pulls in, discharges then backs for 5 or 6 miles to the Y at Home then shoves back to the station to await the departure of 42 in the morning.

For the Vermonter, one of two things happens:
If there is a locomotive at either end of the consist, it is not turned, as it is set up for push-pull.
If there is a locomotive at one end and a cab car at the other, the consist is turned on the wye at St Albans so that the locomotive is leading on the Palmer-St Albans portion.
This is all likely to change later this month when the train gets rerouted and a backup move will [largely] no longer be required.

Springfield shuttles (400-series) operate push pull and are not turned, but can be at New Haven or Springfield.

I'm assuming the 140-series Washington to Springfield through trains are turned on the wye at Springfield.

Boston trains are pulled out of the station I believe by a terminal switcher, then are brought to the servicing area just south of the station, turned around the loop, then backed into the station for their next departure.

Downeaster trains are push-pull and are not turned.

David Benton wrote:Are trains originating from NYP, for Boston backed through the tunnels from Sunnyside?

The only train I can think of that originates in New York Penn for Boston is 2190, the Acela that departs at 6:20, since there is a cab at both ends that's really not an issue.

When the Lake Shore originated out of Grand Central Station, it would arrive INTO Grand Central at around 1 to 2 pm and then use the loop track so it could be serviced and depart same day at 7 pm westbound back to Chicago. The crews were based out of Chicago instead of NYC. The Lake Shore operated with only two trainsets in those days! When the Empire connection was built, and all Amtrak trains that originated from Grand Central moved to Penn Station, the Lake Shore soon shifted to having a NYC based crew and three trainsets were the norm. I liked the Lake Shore's schedule out of Grand Central the best.

Other Empire trains did the same if operating out of Grand Central, or the Turbos were used so the train sets didn't have to be turned.

The Clockers and even Pennsylvanian, when they terminated at 30th Street Station Philadelphia, used Zoo Interlocking to get wyed. Those were other interesting trains - the Pennsylvanian with its all coach train trek leaving Philly for Chicago in the 6 am hour and arriving into Chicago around 1 am etc. The eastbound Pennsylvanian - when extended to Chicago had a various array of schedules - leaving Chicago either at 11 pm to midnight or in the early morning 6 am hour! I can remember the Clockers rolling through Newark station with Amfleets, Heritage Amtrak coaches, and even MARC coaches! Towards the end they would throw everything and anything on it that was laying around the station, including some nice refurbished 1/2 leather seat business class cars with table seating on the side (but of course no food service). Would have been real interesting if Amtrak could have operated the Clockers from Wilmington to NYC. The Clockers were year-round the single most longest single trains that I can think of when in full operation! Course add an E-60 and they easily became Clunkers. Amtrak was even shuttling P40's (and then P42's) behind the E-60 as a backup in case they didn't make it out of the Hudson River Tunnels.

usroadman wrote:The Silver Star uses a wye between 36th & 38th Streets before backing into Tampa. (At least this was true on the northbound trip when I took it a few years ago. I'm not sure if southbound it is done before or after the stop.) There are of course passengers aboard for the move since the train continues from/to Miami.

Both are backed up... from and to Miami...

shadyjay wrote:For the Vermonter, one Boston trains are pulled out of the station I believe by a terminal switcher, then are brought to the servicing area just south of the station, turned around the loop, then backed into the station for their next departure.

That was old practice back in the 90's. Trains are shoved out of South Station to the Dorchester Main to Loop interlocking and around the loop. The trains usually go through the car wash, but I'm uncertain of the carwash's present condition. After coming off the loop the train stops east of South Bay interlocking and then pulls forward into Southampton Street Yard. Outbound trains are shoved straight to South Station. Acelas are looped on their way to the yard from South Station if First Class is on the rear of the inbound trip.

ShadyJay wrote: Downeaster trains are push-pull and are not turned.

Technically, Downeaster sets get turned nowadays in Maine. When they reach Portland they reverse direction to continue north to Brunswick. However, the cabbage is still leading Southbound into Boston.

In Portland, Oregon the preferred method (usually for the Empire Builder, which is the only affected train) is to run it east across the Steel Bridge to East Portland, where there is a wye north to UP's Albina Yard and south to UP's Brooklyn Sub (former Southern Pacific main). If the Coast Starlight is shortlined for some reason, then it too could be turned the same way. The Cascades have a cab car and therefore don't need to be turned.

A secondary option, although I don't think it's been used in years, is the balloon track at the Portland Terminal Railroad's Lake Yard about 2.1 miles north of Union Station.

There is a wye known as Bailey's Wye south of Camden Station in Baltimore on CSX that links to the Locust Point Spur and the Howard Street Tunnel. I don't know if MARC uses it regularly for their train sets though.

TheOneKEA wrote:There is a wye known as Bailey's Wye south of Camden Station in Baltimore on CSX that links to the Locust Point Spur and the Howard Street Tunnel. I don't know if MARC uses it regularly for their train sets though.

MARC trains operate out of their service facility at Riverside and head locomotive first to Camden Station through the East Leg of the Bailey Wye. They operate from Camden Station to Washington Union Terminal in push mode, and from WUT to Camden Station in pull mode and then operate in push mode from Camden Station to Riverside at the conclusion of the round trip.