With the average freight train, how long after the engine starts does the last car move?
I’d guess several minutes with today’s 100+ length trains, especially if the engine “starts” at zero mph.
It depends on whether the slack is bunched up or stretched out. If it is stretched the rear end will move at the same time as the front. If it is bunched it will vary with the train length and how fast the engineer advances the throttle. Usually it is less than 1 minute.
You’re right; I misunderstood. I was thinking of the time it would take the last car to pass where the engine had been (doh).
I’m sure you could come up with a “typical” train, but there are lots of variables - especially HP/ton, as well as track speed and grade.
Of course, there would have to be a minimum amount of time before you’d break the coupler…
That’s a question, with like mentioned,that has lots of variables.Here’s some neat information.On a 100 car coal train there’s 1 car length(50 ft) of slack before the rear moves.That can pretty much stay the same providing the train has all the same type of coal cars.Now imagine some of the 250+ car coal trains we run on the NS.Your talkin 150 ft.(2 1/2 cars) or more of slack.It’s fun when starting one of them big monsters from a dead start to watch when the e.o.t.d. starts to show it’s moving on the h.o.t.d.But i’ve never given it any thought as to how long it takes as far as time wise.I’ll have to time it.[8D]
DP trains start different too. You let your rear motor bunch the slack then start pulling with the leader.
Also depends on the engineer, some are nice starters that take slack out a car at a time others feel that starting and just hammering the snot out of it is better train handeling. Granted your conductor would rather you not ( I would be ticked having to walk back to see a heavy handed engineers handiwork but I dont have to worry about it now) Nice and easy is the way to move em they have you for 12 hours anyway why rush?