B757 CAPT RPTS THE LOC SYMBOLOGY ON THE RENO DEP IS MISLEADING WITH RESPECT TO RWY 16 DEPS.

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DEPICTION OF DEP PROC FOR RENO 3 DEP IS CONFUSING. INITIAL CLB STATES; 'CLB VIA RNO LOC S COURSE....' DIAGRAM DEPICTS A LOC ARROW POINTING N AND A COURSE ARROW IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION LABELED 164 DEGS. THE NAVAID DETAILS ARE LISTED AS 'LOC DME (BACK COURSE) 110.9.' I INTERPED THE DEP PLATE TO MEAN THE FRONT COURSE FOR RNO WAS A NORTHERLY HDG AND THE RECIPROCAL AND DEP HDG WAS 164 DEGS. WE SET THE LOC PANEL UP FOR A FRONT COURSE OF 344 DEGS. ON DEP; I CALLED FOR LOC AND BACK COURSE FOR THE FLT DIRECTOR. IT DID NOT CAPTURE AND I TOOK A 5 DEG HDG CHK INTO THE DISPLACED LOC INDICATION ON THE ADI. THE LOC INDICATIONS CONTINUED TO DIVERGE BUT I WAS SHORTLY PUT ON VECTORS BY DEP; SO I DID NOT DRIFT FAR OFF COURSE. AT ALT; I CHKED THE APCH PLATES AND FOUND OUT THAT THE FRONT COURSE FOR RNO WAS IN FACT 164 DEGS. WE WOULD HAVE CHKED BACK TOWARDS THE RWY CTRLINE DEPICTION ON THE HSI MAP DISPLAY IF WE HAD TO CONTINUE ON THE LOC OUTBOUND FOR ANY LONGER THAN WE DID. THE CONFUSION FROM A REVERSE SENSING LOC AND A LOC BACK COURSE NOT CAPTURING WAS NOT WELCOME BUT MANAGEABLE ON THIS FLT. THE PROPER DIRECTION OF THE LOC ARROW ON THE DEP DIAGRAM MAY HAVE PREVENTED THE CONFUSION AND INITIAL CHK AWAY FROM OUR PROPER DEP COURSE.