Ya know, basically a SP cab forward IS an engine running in reverse. The firebox is at the front, the smoke box is at the rear and the engines, themselves are "pushing", that is, the cylinders are behind the drivers.
Seems to me that any steam engine, particularly if it has a trailing truck, can "steer" itself in reverse as well as it can operating in a normal, or forward operation. I can understand that an engine like a 2-8-0 or a 4-6-0 would not be comfortable running at speed without some sort of guide wheels or truck, but not so for more modern engines with trailing trucks for normal forward operations.
Paul Fischer
