A top-and-tail railway train

Train

A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...

 has locomotive

Locomotive

A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...

s at both ends, for ease of changing direction. This is a British term. It is normal for only the leading locomotive to power the train when in top-and-tail mode, cf push pull

Push-pull train

Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...

 operation with both locomotives powering.

It is properly distinct from a push-pull train

Push-pull train

Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...

, which has a locomotive at one end and a control cab at the other end.

Trains going up zig zag

Zig Zag (railway)

A railway zig zag, also called a switchback, is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. For a short distance , the direction of travel is reversed, before the original direction is resumed.A location on railways constructed e.g...

s of the Khyber Pass

Khyber Pass

The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....

 are top-and-tailed, although Pakistan Railways

Pakistan Railways

This article is about the rail company in Pakistan. For technical details and operations see: Transport in Pakistan.Pakistan Railways is a national state-owned rail transport service of Pakistan, head-quartered in Lahore. It is administered by the federal government under the Ministry of Railways....

 calls this by a different term.

In Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, the term "push-pull

Push-pull train

Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...

" is confusingly used to describe trains top-and-tailed with a locomotive at either end. (True push-pull operation with a locomotive at one end is not seen on Japanese mainline railways.)

United States

• Amtrak's Vermonter
  Vermonter
  Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day....
  
   - train reverses direction at Palmer, Massachusetts
• Atlantic City Express Service
  Atlantic City Express Service
  ACES is an inter-city train service offered by the Borgata, Caesars Atlantic City, and Harrah's Entertainment. It is operated by New Jersey Transit under contract, and funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority...
  
   - uses a diesel locomotive for part of the route and electric for the remainder with the switch taking place at Frankford Junction, Pennsylvania
  Frankford Junction, Pennsylvania
  Frankford Junction is a railroad junction, and former junction station, located on the border between the Kensington and Port Richmond neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
  
  

Australia

• Minto Inland Port - no run round
• Tahmoor colliery - balloon loop
  Balloon loop
  A balloon loop or turning loop allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or even stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains, such as coal trains....
  
   now faces wrong way.
• Macquarie Generation - operates coal trains on spot market where balloon loops and sidings often face the wrong way.
• Rail Transport Museum of New South Wales operates trains between Sydney and Thirlmere
  Thirlmere, New South Wales
  Thirlmere is a small semi-rural town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Wollondilly Shire. Popularly known for its railway origins, the town is located 89 km south west of Sydney , one third of the distance from Sydney to Canberra...
  
   with a steam engine at one end and a diesel engine at the other. The steam engine is at the front whenever passengers are on board.

New Zealand

• NZR EA class
  NZR EA class
  The NZR Ea class were used by New Zealand Railways between 1968 and 1997 on the OtiraArthur's Pass section of the Midland line in the South Island, through the Otira Tunnel...
  
   used in a six-carriage train to supplement Wellington electric multiple units until arrival of the Matangis.