FAST freight trains

Where would I find America’s fastest freights? Once Covid is under control, we’d like to take a trip out west. Is there someplace I can see 79 mph (isn’t that the max allowed?) freight trains, hopefully a line with lots of traffic?

You’re best bet is BNSF’s Southern Transcon. Needles Sub, Seligman Sub, Gallup Sub just to name a few. 70MPH Freights with Heavy traffic. If you want some of the best scenery BNSF’s Seligman sub would be the best in my opinion. The Seligman sub runs between Needles, CA, and Winslow, AZ.

If UP is your fancy the Sunset Route between Colton, CA, and El Paso, TX host 70MPH Z trains as well. Though not as busy as BNSF but plenty of traffic to keep you on your toes.

Short story. Back in 2006 I was heading to Calexico,CA and decided to hop on Interstate 8 south of Phoenix. UP’s Sunset Route and I-8 Follow eachother from Gila Bend, AZ to Yuma, AZ. Sometime down the road I was approaching Mohawk Pass and noticed a UP Z-train climbing the pass. I caught up to him
at the summit. Not too long after he was running right with me doing every bit of 75MPH.

UP from Grand Island, Nebraska to Green River, Wyoming.

Thanks.

You’re best bet is BNSF’s Southern Transcon. Needles Sub, Seligman Sub, Gallup Sub just to name a few. 70MPH Freights with Heavy traffic. If you want some of the best scenery BNSF’s Seligman sub would be the best in my opinion. The Seligman sub runs between Needles, CA, and Winslow, AZ.

I-40 between Gallup and west of Winslow is adjacent to BNSF in many locations. I have driven at just under 80 MPH (legal speed limit) and have been able (just) to pass some of the BNSF Z trains.

Doubt that any RR authorizes freights to do more than 70 mph. Isn’t that the freight limit for Class 5 track? (Guess that limit started after Super C, which was allowed 79.)

FRA 213.9 limit for Class 5 freight is 80, Class 4 60 mph.

As a link that will also be useful for those following the WMSR thread:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/part-213/subpart-A

We’re sure to get some besserwisser saying that number ought to be “79mph” and it is important to recognize why the figure Mr. Goding gave is correct.

The Esch Act language for train control, which was preserved in the 1947 order and still applies today, specified maximum speed slightly differently from part 213. Their language pertains to ‘80 and over’; 213’s inherently to ‘80 and below’.

The 1mph difference is not particularly material other than that it defines where serious Federal penalties may apply – which is certainly enough for me to respect it.

The Santa Fe side of BNSF is probably the only railroad that still powers freight trains well enough to maintain speeds like that without a gravity assist.

Interestingly, I’ve noticed that the pulling power of AC traction units really drops off once you get above 50 mph, DC units of equivalent horsepower seem to do better at very high speeds.

AC dynamic braking is far better at all speeds.

BNSF Chillicothe sub (not quite out west but getting there)… whoa! Hold on to your hat and stand well back…

The UP’s old CNW line still has a few Zs that still have enough power, or less train, to run 70. I’ve seen that number a time or two when the stars lined up just right.

A few months ago, for about a week they had a 69 mph temporary speed restriction on a spot about a 1/4 of a mile long. Maximum speed there is 70 mph. I have no idea why the 69 temporary. It was in a space where most 70 mph trains wouldn’t be doing 70 anyway. It was about in the middle of a 4 mile stretch between a permanent 60 mph and a permanent 40 mph.

Jeff

A year or so ago my grandson and I paced a westbound stacker from Mechanicsville to Cedar Rapids that was doing 67. Good thing there weren’t any Iowa Troopers around, and light traffic on US 30…

If you’ve ever seen the operating profile of the Southern Transcon from Fort Sumner, NM to San Bernardino, CA. They have no other option if they want to maintain a 70MPH railroad where feasible.

SD70Dude

The Santa Fe side of BNSF is probably the only railroad that still powers freight trains well enough to maintain speeds like that without a gravity assist.

If you’ve ever seen the operating profile of the Southern Transcon from Fort Sumner, NM to San Bernardino, CA. They have no other option if they want to maintain a 70MPH railroad were feasible.

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SD60MAC, there are locations between the sites you mention where the two tracks have been separated to aleviate the grade issues about which you allude. And the recently built flyover at Truxton, AZ allows trains to change tracks for a favorable grade without the need to utilize 50 MPH switch crossovers, some of which have been in place for 60 years to address grade and passenger train issues.

What is the track class for the northeast corridor trains where Amtrack trains do 125 MPH?

FRA 213.307 shows Class 6 is required for 110 mph, class 7 for up to 125, class 8 for 160 and class 9 for 200.

You can see all the track standards in this document; it may not be the latest but the first to come up in google search:

https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2020-08/2008_Track_Safety_Standards%20(1).pdf

Im now considering a trip to Chicago in June, and want to rent a car and go see some of that action

If you have some suggestions for train-watching spots, I’d love to hear them. Also, any notable RR buildings and infrastructure worth seeing along the entire sub. Or just unique settings the route might pass through, even if something prevents a good photo there.

Thanks in advance.

Let’s light that download up, shall we?

https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2020-08/2008_Track_Safety_Standards%20(1).pdf

Strangely, the link to eCFR I provided no longer shows the ‘addendum’ to 49CFR213 that shows the higher-track-speed classes… only a tedious ‘back’ and ‘next’ that would take seemingly forever to step to it. If you Google “49 CFR 213” it will give you several alternatives that show the whole index, and you can get the higher speeds from that.

As here: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title49/49cfr213_main_02.tpl

The high-speed stuff is in subpart G, starting at 213.301.

Again, 125 and not “124” is the highest permitted speed in that class.

Check out VRF’s Fort Madison, IA webcam. They don’t go through there very fast, but the action’s almost non-stop. Also very picturesque.

EDIT: Although almost exclusively BNSF, you’ll also see a few trackage-rights UP trains go through there, as well as numerous examples of borrowed power.