换向器

换向器是一种控制装置，通常是杠杆，用于设置机动轨道车辆的移动方向——前进、后退或空档。后者通常将车轮与动力总成完全分开。撤销 切勿在车辆行驶时操作，以免对动力总成造成灾难性损坏。出于同样的原因，通常需要松开油门和动态制动器才能使反向器运行。

Vehicles equipped with a reverser can run both forward and backward with equal capacity, and are even equipped with lights on both ends for this purpose. Depending on the vehicle design, the only difference when changing orientation can be the driving visibility, and cooling behavior .

Reversers should never be operated when vehicles are in motion, to avoid catastrophic damage to the powertrain . For the same reason, to operate the reverser, throttle and dynamic brakes need to be disengaged.

On steam engines , cutoff is the closest feature to a reverser, albeit with more functionality.

Many vehicles only have one set of controls, facing a particular direction. To drive these vehicles in the opposite direction comfortably, it helps to use the universal control stand , or a locomotive remote controller , if supported.