You got that right. Basically, just swivel the seat around, and face out the back door, instead of the windshield. You now use your right hand, to run the engine, and glance at the speedo, from time to time. If it's night time, you can usually see the speedo reflected in the rear window. After a few years running, most competent crewmen can tell you the speed, within a couple of miles an hour, without having to look. The other gauges aren't too important, unless you are starting the train (then it's nice to see the ammeter), or when braking, when you need to see the reductions being made. What is not fun, is running those tabletops in reverse. I usually face forward, in that situation, and look ahead, using the rearview mirror, to see what's going on. Some roads, like the NS, use engines so much in either direction, that they place a second speedo, behind the seat, just for reverse running.
Traveling Engineer, Coast to Coast, Border to Border.
Any Train, Anytime, Anywhere.....
Any Train, Anytime, Anywhere.....