Use of engines and helpers?

For a blast way back into the past the NYCRR had a helper station located in South Byron NY on the Water Level Route.

This was an interlocking tower, crossovers and "pocket tracks" (short dead end sidings) off the North and South Freight Mains.

Helper locomotives would come out of the pocket tracks and couple up onto the hind end of Westbound trains and help push them up "Bergen Hill" into Batavia.

Then the helpers would uncouple and come back down the hill as light engines and pull into the pocket track on the other side of the mains and wait for a chance to cross back over to the westbound side of the four track mainline.

The tower was located just about where East Main Street and Mechanic St join in South Byron NY.

There was a small fueling and watering "engine-house" in Bergen to keep the helpers supplied.

The tracks and tower for this operation where still used until after WWII and finally got removed (IIRC) when the NYCRR reduced that section of the mainline from 4 tracks to 2 tracks in the 1960's

Cheers, Kevin

The former Erie RR/EL required helpers on longer and heavier trains going eastbound at Attica Hill. This practice continued into the mid 80s under Conrail ownership. NS still under powers their eastbound trains on occasion- a train had to double the grade recently.