Locomotive Positioning

[stargate525]

I've noticed that you can put the locomotive on a train anywhere in the lineup you'd like. Is there any benefit to putting it at the front as opposed to at the rear? I suppose I could stick one of the symetrical electrics in the middle to make it look like it's a push-pull, but is there a difference mechanically?

[SoftwareSimian]

As far as in-game goes then no, it makes no difference where you put the locomotive(s).

In real life it can make some difference, especially for long heavy freight trains. Traditionally all the power was up front, possibly with locomotive(s) tacked on the rear for pushing up short extra-steep hills. Distributed power[en.wikipedia.org] is becoming more common; in the old days you'd see 4 locos up front, now you're more likely to see 2 up front, one in the middle and one near the rear. It puts less strain on the couplers and similar operational benefits, but such things have no impact in Transport Fever.

[Nick B.[US]]

In real life, pushing is easier than pulling in some most cases. However, pulling is way easier logistically and for visibility overall. More locomotives were put on a single train then 1 as well and having more than 1 loco is a great idea if you think you need one on a train. In railroad terms it is called "MUing" or "Heading". Heading would be "double heading", which is 2 locos and then so on for more. Also, trains really grew in length quickly, hence the need for the Big Boy in the 1940s. The railroads also put helper locomotives on a train if it is heavy and going over a steep section of the line. These were put at the end of a train until it made it to the crest then the helper would be sent back down the mountain/steep section to help the next heavy train.

[Mr Felidae]

Game wise the position of a locomotive within a consist doesn't impact performance or speed. You could even place the locomotive in the middle of a consist if you want it to look symmetrical, even if it looks really odd.
The only way locomotive placement is useful is for esthetics. Some mods add carriage sets that include a steering unit, a carriage containing a cab. Depending on how you want the consist to look, the steering unit can either be at its front with the locomotive at the back pushing it, or the other way around with the locomotive pulling it.

[SoftwareSimian]

Originally posted by Nick B.US:

In railroad terms it is called "MUing"
... hence the need for the Big Boy

Just for clarity, MU in this case signifying "Multiple Unit", which applies to diesel locomotives (probably electric too, but I'm not very familiar with them) but not to steam locomotives. The problem with steam locomotives is you need a crew for each locomotive and they need to know how to work together (yet independently, often without radios) to apply the right amount of power for where they find themselves in a multi-locomotive train. The idea of mammoth locomotives like Big Boy (and other similar giants, e.g. Yellowstone[en.wikipedia.org], Triplex[en.wikipedia.org], etc) is to basically have the power of two locomotives under the control of a single engineer. The revolutionary thing that diesels brought was MU capability where a single engineer could control one locomotive or ten just as easily, just plug 'em together and they more or less become one big locomotive. Gave the steam crew unions nightmares, but the railroad management loved it.