Long Train Runnin'

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I recently received some old Trains Magazines from another forum member.(Thanks W Warner). In one , I ran accross something that was a topic recently, and thought I’d share.

The longest train in the USA:
On November, 15th, 1967 Norfolk & Western ran an experimental coal train from Iaeger,W.V. to Portsmouth, Ohio, with 500(!) coal cars. Some interesting factoids:

~ The train was 21,424 feet, 9 inces long. ( 4.058 miles )

~ Gross tonnage was 48,584.

~ Power was provided by six SD45’s, with 21,600h.p., with cut in, mid-train helpers.

~ The train had approximately 500 feet(!) of slack.

~ Once the locomotives started moving, it was said to take 2-5 minutes before the caboose started to move.

~ The length record was beat in 1989 by a South African train that was 4.53 miles long.

~ The weight record was beat in 1996 by an Australian ore train that pulled 72,191 gross tons. It was powered by the equivilent of ten Dash-8’s.

Norfolk & Western only did this once, and figured out that it wasn’t worth the hassle to run a super long train.

What do you think about that?[:)]

2

no thank you… you can keep it for someone else to try to make it into the record books with running ones that long…i get one that long and im marking off sick on the spot…lol
csx engineer

3

I would lay off on call 8,000 feet is long enough for me.

Rodney

4

Hmm. About 2 1/4 HP per ton. Let’s play with the calculator a bit. With 125 hoppers, that gross tonnage would be just over 388 cars. Still a monster but how long are PRC trains commonly run? Not much over 150 cars and you’re halfway there, already. Four of the new 6000HP units (or three 6000’s and a 4000) and you’ve got more than the power. You may be running that train sometime soon-without knowing it!

Someone want to play with how many 70 ton hpppers and A6’s it would’ve taken?

5

And we wonder why people run crossings…

6

When that monster was pulling out of the yard and you were lucky enough to be stuck at a grade crossing you could have gone through an entire CD of music waiting for the hack to pass you!

7

Six SD45s? That’s impressive!

“Long Train runnin”? A hit early 1970s Doobie Brothers! [:D][:-^][{(-_-)}]

8

I cant wait til Mac jumps in on this. He runs that route and has indicated they run some pretty good sized coal trains on the line.

It has to be completely flat, or close to it. It seems as if there would be approach grades to the Ohio River crossing.

Mac, if you jump in…what is the ruling grade on that line and what is a typical coal train you handle?

ed

9

I think Ed Kings article in Trains March 2001 also told the story of that train. I have to check and get back on that.

Jay

10

Can you imagine riding a caboose on a train with 500’ of slack? The article did say that the route was virtually flat.

11

If I were a yardmaster who had to deal with monsters like that every day, I’d hire someone to kill me.

12

If you were also a yardmaster making up monsters like that every day, I’d think you’d have your pick of volunteers!
LOL!

13

I don’t think I would want to be the conductor on a train that big if it went into emergency. That would be a lot of walking.

CC

14

The article is in the March, 2001 Trains Magazine. I guess my use of the word old is a reletive term.[:I]

15

From the article: "The extra broke a coupler nuckle when it started at Williamson…at times carmen had to walk the train while it was pulling by at 5 mph to release sticking brakes…

Easy to see why they only did this once! " Typical westward coal trains at the time ran about 240 cars",…" behind two 2250 h.p. GP30’s."

16

2 GP30s for 240 cars? That doesn’t sound right.

And that song also mentions the ILLINOIS CENTRAL![swg]

What was the record before N&W hauled 500 cars? CGWs longest train was 276 cars but I don’t know what year that was.

17

This record has been beaten in 2001, still on the same australian railroad, with a train running 660 or so ore cars, rated at 107,000 tons, and run by 10 AC6000Ws placed in DPU, 5 sets of 2 engines.

Dominique

18

Do you know if it was also longer than the N&W , or South African train?

19

I don’t remember the data for the N&W or the South Af train, but I remember this Aussie train was 4 miles long or so.

Dominique

20

According to the article, 2 GP30’s for 240 cars was correct. Apparently the rail line where that took place was almost totally flat. The article was in 2001, because I’m re-reading that year of TRAINS at present.