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Well, first let's explore if there is indeed a need for DPU's in bi-modal operations.At a max of 150 units, a typical bi-modal train is around 8,000' - just about the limit for most current sidings.  But what if siding lengths of 10,000' or 12,000' become the norm, and railroads want to have all trains max out on length to satisfy the bean counters?  At that point, bi-modal is at a (further?) disadvantage to TOFC and COFC, because those types of trains can lengthen at will without any operational limitations.Thus, for bi-modal to continue to have the full scale of operational competitiveness with other intermodal technologies, it will need to be able to run trains of 175 or even 200 units per consist, e.g. exceeding the current operational limits by 25 to 50 additional units.  That's where distributed power would come into play, and for DPU's to be effective they have to be a certain distance from the lead units, e.g. 1/3 of the way back in the consist.Since there is a restriction on using engines as pushers for TOW's, a DPU used in bi-modal operations would have to be implemented in such a way that it is only pulling the trailing portion of the consist, and not pushing on the lead portion of the consist, right?  So a specialized railcar placed behind the transitional bogie of the lead portion of the consist and ahead of the DPU would function solely as an "absorber" of any and all buff force from behind, yet still allow the whole consist to be physically connected together.  The car may need to have a transmitter itself that sends a signal to the trailing unit to "back off" a bit on the throttle if buff force is too constant.I wonder if that would satisfy the regulators enough to allow bi-modal operations in excess of 150 units?
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