Double Heading MTH DECAPODS

The term "double heading" is when BOTH locomotives are on the headend of the train. If only one locomotive is on the headend, and one is pushing on the rear of the train, then that is not "double heading". The rear locomotive is then a "helper" or a "pusher". In Great Briton, it would be referred to as a"Banker", i.e. assisting a train up the "bank" or hill.

A relatively easy coupling.  The small piece of wire secures the two couplers. Two Weaver Pennsy units.  L1s and H10.

Some of the locomotives are supplied with this dummy front coupler, which requires replacement of the scale front coupler.

But the original poster was talking about the "Imperial Line". Do they come with dummy couplers?

One of the couplers picture is Lionel, came with a K4. The other is MTH, and, yes, you are right, it came with a Premier Russian Decapod, if I remember correctly.  I believe PSC also offers the dummy Claw. 

The Russian Decapod with an MTH Imperial 0-6-0.  The two do work well together.  The 0-6-0's have an operating front coupler as a switcher.   

The Imperial line Decapod has a dummy coupler.

Which when installed, can be used for pushing from the rear of the train.

I believe that the loco at the rear of the train is the only "pusher"; mid-train or running

ahead of the road engine, it is called a "helper". These are also steam-era terms; not

totally sure about all of today's terminology. Steamers did not "MU", for example.

I believe that the PRR used the term "snapper" for a helper, etc.(?)

Can you have a double header on the front of train and another double header on the rear of the same train pushing? or is that called something else? Maybe that is what they where talking about in the video the OP mentioned.

Clem

Very nice. That is a triple header, with a helper/pusher on the rear.

Paul, I agree with your question about the Imperial Engines or older Railking Engines and no front coupler.

MTH makes it so easy to put together a train with double headed steam engines on the front and a pusher or two on the rear and then don't provide you with a front coupler capable of performing this task. (Notice thru all of this I did not say the word Lashup) 

I have an MTH M1A Imperial that I have installed a front coupler that I removed from a coal hopper and bored out the pivot hole so it would swing freely.

I removed the pivot screw from the front truck and replaced it with a longer machine screw and a side rod spacer from a Lionel 226 engine.

This setup will work fine on wide sweeping turns but when you get into a tight turn (O31) the coupler comes over and makes contact with the front pilot foot boards causing the front truck to derail.

Currently I am looking for something different that I can use to double head my engines with no interference with the front pilot.

I know what I am looking for I just haven't found it yet.

I am waiting on a MTH Imperial Pennsy L1 Mikado that should be available any day now.

I will be anxious to see if MTH made any changes in this area on this engine.

Click on the picture and you can see a 4th steam engine on the headend.

OK, right. Then it is a "quadruple header" with a helper/pusher on the rear. Wonder where that is, since it is a passenger train, and some railroad would not allow helpers/pushers on the rear of passenger trains.

Wonder where that is

It must have passengers made out of LEAD with all those engines pulling/pushing that thing...or a very steep incline.

Wonder where that is, since it is a passenger train, and some railroad would not allow helpers/pushers on the rear of passenger trains.

I think it's on the Moffat Route before the D&RGW took over.  The road would be either the Denver, Northwestern & Pacific, or the Denver and Salt Lake and picture taken before the Moffat Tunnel was completed.  That's an educated guess, and probably correct. 

The Pennsy very often ran Double headed Decapods on the front of a train with double headed Decapods on the rear as helpers. That is what the description refers to.

If you have O-72 curves on your layout as you say, you can wait for the Premier Decapods to be released again or get a used set. These come with front couplers. That is if your budget can take the added cost.

Thanks for all of the feedback. The history of the PRR decapod is an interesting one. The PRR ran 100 ore car trains with a single decapod from Lake Erie to Northumberland, PA (I used to live 9 miles from there). To accomdoate a grade beween Northumberland and Mount Carmel, PA, they added 3 additional decapods (2 each front and rear) for this part of the journey. In Mt. Carmel, the cars were transferred to Lehigh Valley RR for the remainder of the journey to Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem, PA. Interestingly, LVRR required 3 A-B-A diesel units (~33 iron ore cares for each A-B-A)for their portion of the trip. This ended in the 1950's with the completion of the St.Lawrence Seaway. PRR ran up to 3 round trips a day with this iron ore train. People who lived along the line told me that with the 4 decapads pulling the train, every house,car, person outside, hanging laudnry, etc. was soot covered. I viewed a VCR tape of this train a numebr of years ago and it was a truly impressive train. Last comment, despite several suggestions from me, MTH has never produced a multi-car PRR iron-ore set. I find this very surprising given their promotion for the decapods. Paul

I too would like to see a multi-car PRR Iron Ore Set.