Here’s the link:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-big-trains-12-aug12,0,5846745.story?page=1
To me this is a whole lot of whining by communities over the future , in typical political fashion the local leaders will complain about longer trains , not realizing this means fewer big trucks on the roads .
I used to live in a town in Southern Indiana whe 60 + trains per day so you get used to it and on your busiest crossings you may need to build some overpasses .
I am quite familiar with these 10,000 foot trains , they are generally priority trains so they don’t stop for much . Plus these trains are not much longer than than the regular stack trains that are generally 7,000 feet long .
I saw the story on the Trib’s front page today, but refused to dignify it with a purchase.
Maybe Valpo Ed can help here–does CN have a big volume of stack trains on the route into Chicago? I don’t think they have enough intermodal business to warrant the fear of such monster trains. Same for coal trains–not likely beyond what already exists.
Fact is, these Barrington folks could take a drive down the road to Des Plaines, and see exactly what they would be seeing added to existing traffic through their town by watching the WC. They could also see how a suburb with only one grade separation deals with all of the trains that go through there–and Des Plaines has a lot more than Barrington would get, thanks to CP and UP.
I see maybe 3 or 4 stack trains (NB/SB combined) on the CN Mainline. Mostly these trains run at night and they aren’t waiting for anything. I timed several “long” (to me) trains today and they were blocking crossings for an average of 2.5 minutes. Not that big of a deal.
Yeah, usually 3-4 a day, sometimes as few as two. The new 198 and 199 from Prince Rupert are not usually that big from what I have seen. 118 and 119 can get pretty lengthy though. When they do get that large it is because they will tag more regular freight on it. I have never seen these trains as solid stacks.
I think I heard that CN will be getting another ship into Prince Rupert soon. That probably means 2 more a day a couple times a week.
I didnt read the paper this morning, my Tribune delivery has been very irratic of late.
CN runs 148/149 on the ex GTW. Big trains. Plus their auto rack trains tend to be long, often in the 10000 foot range.
There was an eastbound today with 155 cars…dont know what it was, but at 60 ft/car that is roughly 9500 ft. He struggled with the hill, so it is possible it blocked sidings for 4 to 5 minutes if not longer.
ed
CN has run up to 6 stack trains a day (118, 119, 196, 197, 198, 199). In the last 10 days, the 198, 199 been running everyday. 196,197 are extra sections of 198, 199 (heard them twice). Lately (for a few years actually) 118, 119 been running with a lot of freight fillers to fill out tonnage, length.
As for the extra trains that they are talking about, I have no idea where the trains from the north are going to come from. I suppose from Iowa.
On another note, Ive heard from crews that if the CN is going to get the EJ&E, Fond du Lac and Point will be shut down, and Neenah will be the crew change point. Most of the blocking will be at Kirk yard, Memphis, Champaign and another one down South
That title alone is absurd. These are rolling warehouses, emphasis on the rolling. WHy not point out the fact that the trains have destinations and schedules?
Would CN add or drop the number of Crew members while shifting around the change points?
Andrew Falconer
Yes, there will be some elimination of some jobs at both places. I can’t remember how many, but I think they (RR crew) said 25% would be lost and most would be effected. Most jobs that are lost would be from a buyout or retirement. None of this would be happening until Kirk Yard in Gary is upgraded.
They can really afford to cut 25% of their highly-skilled employees?
They must have made some big leaps in efficency.
Andrew
Point and Fond du Lac are the major crew change points and when they abolish those and transfer the crew change to Neenah, I’m guessing that they won’t need as many. I think there are 32 Engineers and 50+ conductors out of FDL at any given time. Around 25 ENG and 35+ cond at Point. If they are all transferred to Neenah, That’s more than they need (my opinion). Not to mention the Engineers and Conductors that are already at Neenah, and throw in a few crews from Green Bay.
I’m just going off what 2 crew members were talking about. With one of them being within 4 years of full benefits. He’s a little worried
Absurd title indeed. What are we talking about here, steel-wheeled Godzillas destroying every city in their path? Flee while you can!
You’d think that the Chicago Tribune is owned by the same characters who inflict the Los Angeles Times on my locale. Oh, wait, it is.
The story dosn’t state it but Bnsf uses the J for Stack trains from Seattle & Tacoma , maybe that is what they are talking about .
The BNSF already uses the “J” for stack trains running into and out of LPC and they run between Eola yard and LPC so nothing should change there unless it means a few more trains, but that’s not very likely.
Oooooooh Monster Trains! [:O] Daddy I’m scared.
Dave Nelson
Doesn’t look like at 10000 foot train to me[:D]
I frequently hear on the scanner about crews dying on the law; I don’t see how making the divisions longer would help anything (except tow-in crew calls).
However, one thing I do find interesting is how the dispatcher will have crews swap trains at meets. Is this done so crews do not have to layover away from their home terminal (thus eliminating hotel charges)? Or is it more to better utilize the crews available?
The crew swap is a conbination of both. mainly to get then back to their home terminal. I was talking to a Superior crew and ask them if they can make Shops (FDL) within their HOS and they said yes, usually with an hour or so left. A few Core trains work enroute (M340-Point and Neenah, M341, M347 sometimes work Neenah but dont know about anywhere else north). When the track speed was 50mph for most of the route, the CN had problems with crews making it all the way. Most of the route now is timetabled for 60mph. A fully rested crew that takes a train out of Shops or Pokey Yard (Superior) will make to the other side on their HOS. I dont know about trains coming north out of Schiller Park (Chicago) or south out of Shops.
Hmmm, I haven’t heard about Fondy and Point being shut down. I would think that if that was a real possibility that I would have heard it by now. Doesn’t make to much sense to me in the first place, but then again, I can kinda see CN doing something like that 
I forgot about 196 and 197. I had only heard them a few times and it seemed when I heard them I didn’t hear 198 or 199. Maybe just bad timing though.
The trains are only noisy when they move fast and if they move fast they will not block crossings for very long. The noise will then be short lived. Their worries contradict themselves.
Hazardous materials are everywhere if one looks hard enough.
These residents must be the most perfect people in the world.
Andrew