Back when American Standards and Moguls were the norm on freight trains and cars were 20 ft. to 36 ft., how long would a typical freight train have been in those days? 20 cars? 40 cars?
There was a lot of variation like there is today. But like today, there was a general maximum. I don’t have any statistical information, but there may be some. But generally, based on a few specific historical references I would speculate that in non-mountainous territory, 25-40 cars was the common practice.
Lots of photos show at least 20 cars. But photos usually cannot show more than about 20 cars, so they cannot give evidence of trains longer than that number. Not only were there 4-4-0s and 2-6-0s, but also 2-8-0s were common. I have not seen much photographic evidence of double heading locomotives in that era.
In his book, The American Railroad Freight Car, John White covers the 4-wheel ore “jimmies” of the anthracite roads. They lasted long after the general class of 4-wheel cars was obsolete. Some roads operated very long trains of jimmies. White cites one Lehigh Valley train in 1879 composed of 593 jimmies. That would be a train 1.5 miles long in 1879.
With air brakes not having been mandated until 1893 and universal in 1900, makes one wonder how you controlled a 593 car train in 1879???
[quote]
The Safety Appliance Act is a United States federal law that made air brakes and automatic couplers mandatory on
I suppose they controlled it with brakemen riding the cars, and winding and releasing the hand brakes. White does not say, but I would guess that the 593 cars were empty. If they were loaded, that would be at least 2965 tons of anthracite plus the weight of the cars, which would be about another 2900 tons for the cars. I have no idea what grades were involved but it was on the Lehigh Valley RR.
White also mentions that a record of a train of 225 loaded jimmies was successfully run over the line in 1891. So that would be about 2200-2400 tons for the train weight.
Before air brakes trains weren’t much more than 20 to 25 cars, probably less. A lot depended on the cars, loads, empties, grades, and available manpower. After airbrakes they steadily grew in length as power was increased by locomotive development from 20 to 25 to start to 50 to 75 but rarely 100 by the late 1930s. Then it stuck in the 75-100 40ft car lengths until the 70’s when cars began to grow and engine power leaped.
Based on information in the annual reports of the Wilmington & Northern Railroad in Google Books, the average train in the late 1800’s was about 25 cars and had 6 crew members. The average passenger train had 3 cars and 4 crew members.
From Illinois Central Railroad, Mississippi Division, Telegraph Register of Trains Water Valley to Canton (both in Mississippi) Friday December 22, 1893.
Arriving into Water Valley from Canton
#2 8 cars
#4 5 cars
#92 11 cars, had as many as 18. Looks like peddler/local
3rd #52 23 cars
#54 30 cars
#84 30 cars
#52 23 cars Banana, s/o 2 at Grenada (probably for Memphis)
#83 28
2nd #82 43
Extra 25
Toward Canton leaving Water Valley
#1 6 cars
#3 6 cars
#53 26 cars
X706 Lite eng., p/u 26 enroute
X704 Lite eng., p/u 23 enroute
#61 17 cars
#55 Lite eng, p/u 23
#51 26
#91 8 evidently local opposite #92
Dispatchers were not dilligent about showing loads and empties. No tonnage of length given.
Territory is hill country of Mississippi, no great elevation change, but lots of up and down.
All passenger (#1-4) power 4-4-0. All freight power 700 series 2-6-0, except #91 had 4-4-0.
I suspect pickups toward Canton were virtually all baled cotton.
This was the only through route between New Orleans and Chicago, That is, it was the IC’s main line.
I estimate tare weight of 15 tons per box car. Capacity probably about half & half 30 and 40 tons net.
I suspect cotton loads were about 30 tons, so 45 tons per car gross and about 25 car maximum would be 1
I came across a 1910 Mississippi Division ETT which includes tonnage ratings. The 700 series 2-6-0 had by then been renumbered into the 400 series.
Relevant tonnage ratings
From To A B
Water Valley Durant 950 1075
Durant Canton 950 1250
Canton Water Valley 900 1125
The first two are southbound and cover one crew district. 'A" ratings are fast freight, livestock and/or perishable trains. “B” ratings are drag freight.
To my surprise ratings between Grenada and Memphis were substantially lower, 775 tons drag in both directions. As of 1910 the bulk of scheduled freight trains ran via Water Valley.
Mac
I have no knowledge of the terrain of the old main line, but the line between Memphis and Grenada runs through the hills. A friend who rode the City from Memphis to Brookhaven spoke of quite noticeable lateral motion in the observation car, with glasses and such moving around. The only time I rode out of Memphis in the daytime I was on the engine as far as Grenada, and did not notice such, even though we were traveling at 90 mph, according to the speedometer
The title question of this thread is highly generalized, so it is difficult to give an simple answer. The answer must be qualified as to the types of trains run by various railroads, and their terrain; and whether we are referring to average length or maximum length. Maybe OP Ulrich could come back and explain the basis for his question, and that might help narrow down the answer.
Generally every detail of trains and track was smaller during the 1880s than today.
The only exception is gage. We still use the gage of 1880 despite the fact that everything else has grown larger.
A bale of cotton weighed in the neighborhood of 500-600 lbs. the size was about 3x3x6 feet ( based on childhood memory). They were moved by a big hand cart so it’s doubtful they were two high back in the day.
John
The Electrical World, January 27, 1897
President-Elect McKinley Starts a Train by Electricity
President-elect McKinley pressed a button in his library in Canton, O., transmitting thereby a current of electricity through a Western Union wire, which opened the throttle-valve of Erie engine No. 1058. This started the largest train ever run, consisting of 161 cars loaded with salt from the Worcester Salt Company, Silver Springs. The total weight of salt was 5,000,000 pounds, consisting of over 14,000 barrels and over 10,000 sacks.
The New York Times, January 7, 1897
Worcester Salt Special
SILVER SPRINGS, N.Y., Jan. 6 – One hundred and sixty cars loaded with 5,450,000 pounds of salt left here to-day, consigned to New England firms. The train was the Worcester Salt Special, bearing a consignment of orders to New England, which had been contingent upon President McKinley’s election.
The vast shipment made up the finest freight train ever put together. The cars were handsomely decorated with vari-colored banners. The train will go over the Erie Railroad to Jersey City and thence by the Consolidated Road to Boston.
A large crowd gathered about the train, and as it started there was great cheering. The first section was attached a private car for representatives of the press and officials of the Worcester Salt Company.
The shipment contains 14,222 barrels packed with salt in bags and bulk, and 10,774 sacks not in barrels. If the barrels in the train were placed standing one on top of the other, the most elevated barrel would be over six miles high.
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16003coll4/id/1531
Excerpt from Advertising & Selling magazine (1912)
When the Worcester Salt Company began to do business the bulk of the salt used in this country was imported. Consumers wer
wanswheel,
That is a pretty big train for 1897. It says it was 161 cars and 2500 tons of salt. At an estimated empty car weight of 25 tons, plus the load, that would total 6525 tons for the train. I see the first engine is a 4-6-0, and there are five engines distributed throughout the train, including the lead engine. So that would be 32.2 cars per engine.
The illustration is very nice, and the colors in the foreground of the landscape are gorgeous.