Watched a loaded unit coal train with 2 engines - leaving Lincoln and headed east. Looked like a normal coal train (MAXX- Midamerican Energy Co) and could see 2 DPU’s coming up, usually signaling the end. I don’t count cars as a general rule, but the time it took to leave town was about normal for 110-130 car coal train.
The 2 DPU’s turned out to be not the end, but the last 1/3 of the train. Behind those DPU’s were rental gons. Then 2 more DPU’s and it was gone.
I have seen a mid-train engine go thru here, but never a total of 6 units and never 2 not even mid-train, but looking just like a short add on. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but just never on my watch.
Is this a “normal” coal train headed somewhere where it needs the extra power or is it what it looked like - a regular train taking a shorter one along and dropping it some place along the way?
Question too hard? Oops, I keep forgetting we have so few working railroaders on here that they are stretched pretty thin…and we used to have so many…
I am just curious if a mid-train engine is always in mid-train. That seems pretty easy to me. Or do they ever send a short train w/a long one that is going pretty much the same place and just drop off the 2nd one along the way.
It sounds like you’r second guess is correct, since all the gons following were “rental” instead of what the unit train has as their train.
Makes sense to move it that way if it is going to one customer as a “little unit” train, and saves on a crew start, all the outbound crew has to do is set it off in a siding or yard somewhere along the way.
Mooks : JeffH would be your answer-man. Question would be the length of the train and how involved the flatlanders get with RCE vs DPU. Mid train units could be set up to be air repeater cars and nothing else.
Mud - I was hoping Jeff would see this since he works so close to Lincoln - but he might be a little busy. I did notice that all 6 units were working, but since Lincoln sits in a bowl, they would have a grade in all directions. So maybe the extra power was needed, at least for awhile.
Lately, we are seeing differences from even last year, so will have more questions, I am sure.
I’m sorry I’m late. I did see this, but I don’t have a definitive answer. I’m assuming it’s BNSF and sometimes it’s hard enough trying to keep up with what the UP is doing.
It sounds like either two trains combined or possibly experimenting with how much coal a single plant could take at once using rented cars to fill out the length. (Again I’m assuming they were coal gons.) I’d probably lean towards the combined train theory.
I’ve heard, but can’t confirm, the UP has combined coal trains before. They were ones headed towards KC, so didn’t come my way. Kansas suppoesedly was concerned with the length (blocking crossings, etc) that they split them at the first crew change point in Kansas. It may have been experimental as every so often they have combined two empty hopper trains returning to the mines. This was before DP became common and one train got 4 knuckles. The fourth one while putting the train back togther from the other separations.
Jeff
PS. Since it’s Mid-American, if they were trying to move a bigger train to their Fruitland, IA (west of Muscatine, IA) plant, they would need all that power. At Ottumwa it goes to the CP (ex MILW) and there is a heavy grade out of town going east. (Rutledge hill) I believe normally they receive 135 car trains. We used to have this business via Clinton, but Uncle Warren wants to keep it in the family. I’ve heard they started adding extra power to the trains or else they have to double or triple the hill. In flat Iowa, that is.
Jeff et al: they were loaded coal gons. It is BNSF, since UP only does local switching here in town. I am really surprised that they would put 2 trains together. I think it is a great idea (if that is what they were doing) but just never thought they would actually put that long of a train together.
So many more questions, but with this information, I will study this a little more.
I’ll admit to only being in Lincoln once, about 25 years ago, but I don’t recall having to put the ol’ covered wagon into Granny Gear to climb out of the bowl. What kind of grades are we talking about here? Where can I get one of those Ski Nebraska T-shirts? [:P]
When it comes to railroads and grades - all things are relative. While in a car you may not have to use ‘granny gear’ to traverse the territory - your car is not loaded to it’s maximum hauling tonnage.
Railroads routinely load their trains to the maximum tonnage their locomotive consist can handle - when those trains meet their ruling grade, even if it is less than 1/2 percent (6 inches rise per 100 feet[a grade that is difficult to visually register]) it is real work to get those trains over those grades.
you didn’t notice the grade because you were probably “hurried” out of town. Ski Nebraska, as far as I know, closed down several years ago. I don’t think anyone ever really wanted to ski Nebraska - or their fake snow.
The bowl is only noticeable if you get out of town and can look back at the city. Or watch the trains coming in and out of the east yard. They definitely show a grade.
Come to think of it… I do seem to recall looking in the rear view mirror as I headed out of town and catching a fleeting glimpse of the White Cliffs of Lincoln off in the distance.
A friend of mine had a Ski Nebraska T-shirt. It had a picture on the front of someone skiiing down a haystack.
Mookie-the shortline in my area(Columbia Basin Railroad-CBRW) has run two trains as one in the manner you described. Typically they run south from Warden, Wa to Connell to interchange with BNSF. Occasionally they receive a unit train of canola for the crushing facility in Warden and if the unit train is in Connell when the 'Connell turn’arrives they will tie their power on behind the dpu at the end of the unit train. I would attach a picture but I don’t know how to get it from my ‘smart’ phone onto here and it’s a horrible picture anyway. This is a long winded yes. :b
Thank you for the reply. I am noticing a lot of different things going in and out of our yard lately, so it is good to hear that others are seeing them, too.
This is exactly it. These trains are powered to climb out of the Des Moines River valley at Ottumwa on CP. 6 units, with midtrain DP. The train also has to be powered to reverse direction after being interchanged to CP at Ottumwa.
If the power from the second train is tied on to the back of the DPU on the first train, does that new power act like the DPU power and flollow the same commands from the front end?