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Common sense tells me that a steam locomotive ought to perform exactly the same way going in reverse as it does going forward.  Yet it seems the railroads made a lot of effort to insure that steam locomotives always faced "forward".  They built turntables, wyes, and balloon tracks just to turn the engine (or, sometimes, the whole train) around. Why did they do this?Did steam locomotives perform any better going forward than in reverse?  Was the output of an SP "Cab Forward" any different than a similar steam engine facing "forward"?  Was there any difference in water flow from the tender when the locomotive operated "in reverse"?  (The reason I ask is this: I assume, probably wrongly, that the system of siphons "pulled" water from the tender into the firebox.  If the water "sloshes" back in the tender when the locomotive moves forward, then perhaps it "surges" when the engine is in reverse.)Thanks!
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