Plus if the destination lies on a higher sea level you may want to put the locomotive at the rear to push the wagons uphill (especially if you have a driving trailer). One of the reasons being that uphill pushing doesn’t strain the couplers like uphill pulling does and that with a driving trailer there is no need for a locomotive to be rearranged for every drive to be in the front where you have the best view and train control.
Also putting the locomotive in the back allows for better driving control and stability, “particularly when travelling downhill.” This allows “the train to be backed up into a siding or other area without having to turn the locomotive around. This can be particularly useful in situations where there is limited space for turning a locomotive or where it would be impractical to do so.”
Sometimes you’ll get additional locomotives at the rear or middle when the load is too heavy for a single engine.
Plus if the destination lies on a higher sea level you may want to put the locomotive at the rear to push the wagons uphill (especially if you have a driving trailer). One of the reasons being that uphill pushing doesn’t strain the couplers like uphill pulling does and that with a driving trailer there is no need for a locomotive to be rearranged for every drive to be in the front where you have the best view and train control.
Also putting the locomotive in the back allows for better driving control and stability, “particularly when travelling downhill.” This allows “the train to be backed up into a siding or other area without having to turn the locomotive around. This can be particularly useful in situations where there is limited space for turning a locomotive or where it would be impractical to do so.”
Sauce (for the quotes): https://www.trainshop.co.uk/blog/post/994-were-steam-or-diesel-locomotives-routinely-used-to-push-as-opposed-to-pulling-their-loads.html