Having grown up within 1/4 mile of the B & O railroad (now CSX), very close to where the helper (pusher) engine was stationed to help push the heavy westbound freights up the 15 mile hill out of the Ohio River valley, I've been a railroad fan all of my life. I am just old enough to remember steam power.
I well remember laying in bed on warm summer nights (no AC, windows open) hearing the heavy double-headed freights pass by preparing to stop to enable the pusher to couple to the caboose. They would stop 1/4 to 1/2 mile from our farm, out of sight but well within hearing on a quiet summer night.
Shortly thereafter I would hear the helper engine glide by quietly on its way to its duty.
A few minutes later I would hear the helper engine signal with its whistle that it was coupled and ready. Briefly, thereafter I would hear a much more distant whistle from the head end locomotive acknowledging the helpers signal.
Within seconds, I would hear the helper begin to push (Usually, I could not hear the distant head end locomotives). Poof! Poof! Poof! Chh, Chh, Chh, Chh, Chh, Chh, as the engineer pulled back on the throttle and poured on the sand. Invariably the helper (and probably the head end locomotives as well) would slip (there was a lot of slack between the head end locomotives and the distant helper).
Shortly thereafter, the sequence would repeat, usually without slippage. I would listen with wonderment as the cadence of the helper grew more faint with distance until I could no longer hear it.
Fourty five or so minutes later, if still awake, I sometimes heard the helper quietly glide past west to east as it coasted back down the hill to await the next freight.
Much too young to know wheel arrangements at the time, I do not remember what type of locomotive was stationed for helper duty. I do remember that it was not articulated. Most of the hill was not particularly steep but it was long. On hard pulls steam locomotives would loose steam pressure (torque) if the firebox was not large enough to boil enough water to keep the pressure up under heavy loads. The helper also performed local switching duty when not needed for pushing duty. My best guess would be a 2-8-4 or maybe a 2-10-2. I remember that I was small and it was big.
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