Seeing that I am new to this hobby, I got some questions I’d like to ask.
How fast can a empty and loaded freight train go? (Im sure there are alot of variables when it comes to this)
Why do some locomotives have diagonal lines painted in the front?
How much does a new locomotive cost?
Why are some locomotives on a train pointed ahead and some pointed backwards while on some trains all the units are pointed forward?
What is sand used for?
Whats the differences between 286,000 lb rail and 263,000 lb rail besides that you can haul more weight? Is the steel better quality or denser? Or is the rail it self taller, thicker, or wider, etc.?
Most Freight Locomotive have gearing that limit their maximum speed to 70 MPH.
Most railroads have speed limits for the various types of traffic handled
Intermodal - gennerally 60/70 MPH
General Manifest - generally 50/60 MPH
Coal/Grain and other bulk comidities - 40/50 MPH
The physical characteristics of specific territory (Mountians, curvature, track maintenance levels) further affect the speed of trains.
The are there to attempt to enhance visibility of the locomotive.
New 6-axle road locomotives are costing in the range of 1.5 to 2 Million each.
Generally it is just the luck of the draw when the locomotive consist was put together to handle the specific train.
Sand is used to enhance traction between the steel wheel and the steel rail. Not having sanders working is a prime cause of trains stalling on grades. Not having sanders working is and FRA defect that prevents locomotive from being dispatched from their origin station.
Just a quick comment about the rail. It is measured in pounds per linear yard. 90 lb track, then withgs 90 lbs per each 3 feet of length, or 30 lbs per foot. As rail gets heaver, it can carry more weight, expressed in thousands of gross tons of traffic per year. That would be the total weight of the locomotives, cars and their loads over a certain defined spot over the course of 365 days.
As rail gets heavier, it gets “taller”, that is, the rail web, the part that stands straight up and down, gets taller and a bit thicker. The rail head may or may not get bigger - variables here.
The base of the rail comes in two sizes, a smaller width for rail weights up to 110 lbs and a wider width for wiights 100-136 lbs. I am not sure, but I think that heavier rail has still a wider base.
The advantage of heavier rail flexes less (vertical bending) for a given wheel weight and thus “works” the subgrade less and therefore extends the time period necessary between maintenance dates.
Also, to shed some light on the directions that the loco’s are pointing.
A lot of the time you will see two loco’s in opposite directions, the lead loco pointing forward (obviously) and the second loco pointing backwards. This is done on a lot of railways so if the loco’s get in a situation where they now have to go in the other direction with another train, all you have to do is get in the other loco and it can now be the lead loco. With this being done, no turn table or switch is needed to turn the loco’s around.
What you are stating is the ideal…you would be amazed how many times inept Locomotive Managers assign either Single Unit Wide Bodys (which crews refuse to operated in reverse direction for safety reasons) or two Wide Bodys headed in the same direction to trains that operate in Turn-Around service to points that have no turning facilities. Really makes one wonder what they are using for gray matter…BALLAST!