A 4 mile round trip hike on an ATV trail led to this overlook of Horseshoe Curve, located along the trail.
An Eastbound NS 20V stack train rolls around the Curve near Altoona this morning…
…You’ve been hitting the high spots Dave…Good Show.
As long as that train was, I am very surprised that it did not have helpers on the rear.
Even though it was a long train, the tonnage apparently was not excessive, so it was able to tackle the mountain without helpers…
Even though it was a long train, the tonnage apparently was not excessive, so it was able to tackle the mountain without helpers…
Dave, I counted the loaded coal cars on the EB train up thru Lily, believe it was yesterday and noted it was 101and I’m sure it needed the helpers it had on the rear. Seemed to be putting it up the west slope at a good pace for that much tonnage.
Yes…loaded drags usually get at least one helper set and sometimes as many as three sets…with two sets on the rear and another on the head end in that scenario…although usually if they have two sets on the rear, the reasons for adding a third set would be either the road crew being low on time, where the head end helper takes over the train to bring it down into Altoona for a recrew…or else the road power has some mechanical issue…bad dynamics, etc…and the head end helper is used for added power t get it over the hill.