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NS runs long train on Pittsburgh line
Sorry I missed this as it passed through Pittsburgh. Even more interesting would be a westbound long train with DPUs grinding up the Mountain’s east slope out of Altoona.
…copying another page from " Hunter’ " HOW TO RUN A PROFITABLE EFFICENT RAILROAD BOOK
does this mean the emd sd40e helpers will be replace by dpu or no ?
BNSF, since the arrival of Dash 9-44CWs, many moons ago, has run DP trains thru my city. Today, all unit grain trains and ‘oil cans’, and some intermodal and ‘junk’ trains, run with DP on the rear (2x2). It has been very successful, albeit there was a long period of getting the road crews up-to-speed. Our trains are still limited by siding length to ~110 cars (~6,000’). They are rapid and dependable on the Montana Hi-Line, with little delay cutting off, or adding power from a mid-train configuration. Some trains drop off a unit before traversing the high plains east of Shelby, but not often. The four are necessary on the westbounds. CP, for a while, routed ‘Canpotex’ unit trains thru here from SK. They required five 4,400 h.p. units for the mountains… Fun to watch!.
And DM&E was running 200-220 car trains westward along its line in the early 90s. And they would creep along as slow as 10mph through Rochester Mn. Imagine waiting 10 minutes at a RR crossing for a train that seems to have no end to it. So why is running a 150 car train a story?
Thank you Lord for allowing me to gladly retire from all this excitement 6 years ago and I haven’t looked back nor miss this “style” of railroading. Albeit I fully understand the idea of profit, shareholders etc. I will always remain in the style of railroading I was brought up on from 1968 until the mid '90’s when big changes were in progress, finally ending in 2010.
I went railfanning this past weekend to Matsqui, BC (east of Vancouver) and 8/9 trains were at least 130 cars. One train was 176 cars pulled by two CP units while the other was 175 cars pulled by three CN units. Last year, I saw 11 trains, all in BC, that were at least 200 cars (10 CN, 1 CP). Another railfan I know went out to the same place in early January and 4/5 of CN trains he saw exceeded 180 cars (one was in the 190’s while one was over 200).
If these railroads are just testing (first time), they are way behind CN, CP, and from what I have seen on Youtube, CSXT and UP. BNSF only started running trains in excess of 200 cars about a year ago on the Transcon. They run very few long trains on the Pacific Northwest mainline, despite additional double trackage. CP ran a loaded 196 car grain train down the Spiral Tunnels on the BC/Alberta border, according to another railfan’s video, back in July 2015. That train would have also traversed Rogers Pass to get to Vancouver. I don’t see what the big deal is, not to be rude.
With grades of up to 1.85% on the East Slope - and 2.36% on “the Slide”, Track 3 just east of Gallitzin - there have been significant tonnage and train speed limits for many years on this line. So yes, storied as this ex-PRR main line is, 176 cars IS a big deal. Altoona to Johnstown has been a helper district for most trains since time immemorial, the use of DPU’s would enable NS to scale back on the use of rear-end helpers in that territory. Whether mid-train DPU’s, rear-end helpers, or both, the fact is that most trains operating over the Allegheny Summit do, and will continue to require extra motive power.
If you happen to watch the video cam at the double diamond in Rochelle, IL., you will see DPUs being used on the Union Pacific’s unit coal trains and intermodals quite frequently, as they pass through. Because this area is fairly flat, I’m not sure why they’re using DPUs, unless it’s because of steep approaches to the bridges over the Mississippi River.