Remote Control Shoving Platforms

[jwb]

There's nothing to prevent the operator of a remote control loco from riding on a shoving platform, which would give him the visibility he needed for a backup move. Naturally, cabooses, pre-remote control, have been used for backup moves for a long time -- the conductor would ride the rear platform on the reverse move, using a horn connected to the train air line to blow for crossings, and with the emergency brake handy. As a high school kid, I saw this on the B&O Georgetown Branch not far from my house. The same principle would be used with a single operator with an R/C pack on a shoving platform, just no need for an engineer in the cab.