Coal trains - as many as are running per day - any chance we will run out of coal in the coal fields any time soon? Haven’t we just about dug to the center of the earth and hauled it all over the US?
AND - what is the average speed of a loaded coal train on say - a flat plain with no severe ups and downs?
Mookie [dinner]
PS - had 1/2 of a piece of chocolate cake - shared it with the driver - chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and 15 pounds - sorry Matt! It was soooo good!!!
Mookie,
I found this on the internet.
HOW PLENTIFUL IS COAL?
Coal is far more plentiful than domestic oil or natural gas, making up about 95 percent of America’s fossil energy reserves. Total U.S. coal resources — deposits that are both known and believed to exist — are estimated at nearly four trillion tons. The known coal likely to be mined in the foreseeable future is some 494 billion tons. The amount of demonstrated reserves considered recoverable with current technology is more than 296 billion tons — enough to last over 300 years at current levels of use.
American Coal Foundation
http://www.acf-coal.org/pages/FAQ.html
Thanx Tom - I guess I will be safe for a couple of more years. It just is so awesome (how about that!) to see all that coal going by in just one train and to multiply it by …well, my little BB brain just can’t fathom that!
Mookie
On the UP, the top speed for unit trains, loaded or empty, is 50 m.p.h. Some used to be allowed 60 (depending on some vague aspect of the cars in the train), so it’s probably easier to reduce everything to a low common denominator.
Coming home from work last night, I paced a train of shiny new empties doing a leisurely 35 (my speed limit was supposed to be 25…ah, the thrill of the chase!). I’d like to think that the line through here is too full of trains to allow them to reach their top speed efficiently, but who knows for sure what’s going on…
BC
[:)][:p][8D]Makes you wonder if maybe we should go back to coal stoves for heating, and the old coal cookstoves to cook /bake on[?][?][:0][^]
In a way we actually do. With my electric/heating bill they supply how they generate the electricity. Sometimes is 60% coal!! I think it would be a good idea, less dependent on the Middle East for oil. The only problem, of course, is polution!!
The pollution levels this causes are unacceptable to most. Remember burning coal is a major cause of acid rain.
LC
On the UP top speed for loaded coal trains is 50MPH. Most empty coal hoppers are allowed 60MPH. Any car loaded with coal is restricted to 50MPH. If you have a mty hopper train rated for 60, but have a load that for whatever reason wasn’t unloaded, your train is now 50MPH.
Some subdivisions did allow certain loaded coal trains 60MPH depending on how many cars in the train and, if I remember correctly, couldn’t exceed a certain average gross ton per car. Most trains didn’t fit the requirements. I think they lowered the speed to save stress to the track.