MTH PS1 mod options

I have two Amtrak Pepsi cans that I run on my 8 car Amtrak train, I swapped the wires on the motors on the one I normally run on the trailing end of the consist. These are RailKing, but if you would swap the motor wires on one loco, they would run in the same direction, the trailing unit would start up and run in reverse. The headlights on the lead unit should have the rear headlight unplugged from the circuit board, and the trailing unit should have the front headlight plugged into the green plug on the circuit board, which would normally be the rear headlight, so that when the trailing unit front is in the lead, the front headlight would light correctly. It sounds complicated, but when you try it, it probably would make sense. As far as the middle unit, you could unplug the headlight for both directions, leaving the markers plugged in, if you wish. If it were my consist, I would make the middle unit a nonpowered unit by removing the motors, Add a few ounces of weight to make up for the motor weight, so that it would track well with a string of freight cars on the rear coupler, leaving the motor mounts to hold the trucks in place. There are not many layouts that can accomodate enough freight cars to require three powered units, IMHO. I would also put BCRs in the powered units, just to avoid complications if the batteries start to refuse to hold a charge. 

Just to make sure I understand correctly, you just leave them as separate locomotives, able to run on their own, but wire one to go backwards?  You don't have much problem with them trying to go at different rates, or not staying in "sync" when you cycle power?  If that is so, then that's the way I'll go.  I'll leave my current working unit as it, and wire the other two to be a matched powered/dummy set.  Would you recommend when I run all three to have the dummy in the middle and not be the rear unit?  This mean if I run the pair the dummy would be the lead unit, that isn't normally an issue, is it?  I'm a steamer guy, so this will be my 1st time running a MU train.