Bob, is right on this one. Based on a lot of research for an upcoming article the Lackawanna never retrofitted their FTSB, 3 unit or standard 2 unit FT sets with couplers. In the 1957 motive power shuffling to provide 4 unit sets for road power, 3-unit sets 602 and 603 gave up a FTSB to sets 601 and 604. The remaing FTAs were drawbarred inot FTA-FTA sets 602 and 603 and replaced the 650's FTA-FTB sets as pushers out of Scranton. This configuration lasted as long as the FT components from the original 601-604 sets lasted on the EL roster. The 650's sets were often coupled back to back to make four unit sets as Bob described. To the best of my knowledge the X600 (the tender serving as a rolling coupler) was only used to replace an FTA from one of the 3 unit sets. In this configuration the FTA-FTSB-X600 was used in pusher service till the missiing FTA was restored. I have not encountered any evidence that the X600 was ever connected to a single FTA from any of the two unit sets when a FTB was out of service. One FTA and a tender was not much use as road or pusher power. The priciple raiload to use FTA and FTB units with couplers on both ends was the Santa Fe. They had an extensive fleet of FTAs and FTBs with batteries in all units and hostler controls in the FTBs. Their units had doors and diaphragms on the ends of most units instead of the semi-permanent canvas covers between As and Bs. Santa Fe was the first railroad to grasp the modularity approach to diesel units and would assemble FTA-ended sets with as many FTBs in the middle as required to meet the horsepower requirements of the train tonnage. Rusty Recordon
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