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What is the maximum number of loaded BethGon cars, that a normal coaltrain will have when it leaves the basin between the three BNSF SD70MAC´s?
I read in a magazine that 125 cars and 15.000 tons are the maximum.
But with a max. weight of 143 tons per car this train would be a near 18.000 tons train (without the engines).
When I´m in mathematics as good as I think, 110 cars (this are 15.000 tons) are the maximum.
Most of the coal out of the Powder River is flood loaded (the train moves very slowly under the chute, which is sometimes hard to do, so not every car gets the same amount or a full load). Also the power plant that uses the coal asks for a certain amount every month. The railroad tries to balance this requirement with the fixed sets of cars that they prefer to run. So sometimes a train will not be fully loaded, other times it will. Sometimes they will drop or add cars to haul the correct amount. That is why you will see different tonnages for what looks like the same train.
Read the thread about Balloon Tracks for an even better explanation.[tup]
Most PRB mines (all?) now are capable of loading 135-car maximum trains, or 19,305 tons using 286,000-lb. maximum gross weight cars. Not all unit trains run that long, of course, but many do. The limit will be the ability of the powerplant to take 135-car trains, and siding lengths en route. When I worked at KCS in 2000, 125-car coal trains were normal, and they would not fit into about half of the sidings between Kansas City and Shreveport – not a problem unless you wanted to meet a load and empty!
As Mike pointed out, train lengths will vary as will tonnages, even to the same plant.
If you used 315K cars, you would go to 21,263 tons.
In 1980, a standard coal train was 104 263K cars, or 13676 tons. In two decades, railroading has achieved a 50% productivity increase in PRB coal trains, measured by number of men per train-mile. This by any standard is a phenomenal change.
Thankx !!!
I asked because I don´t believe the 135 cars before.
BTW: Such facts are hard to believe when you know that here in Germany the heaviest freight trains - some ore trains - have a maximum gross weight of 5.900 tons with the two electro engines!
What a wonderful source for publicity for the public to know about railroads alive today!
THEY HAVE DPU LOCOMOTIVES on ALL TRAINS
[8D]No, sir !
We don´t have DPU´s here in Germany !
We have here the line across the Taunus and the 2.800 to 3.200 tons (metric) clay trains to Italy need two engines at the point and one at the rear because the grade is to hard for the simple coupler we use. so the rear engine must push with a pressure of about 700 tons to reduce couplerresistance. And this locos, brandnew DBAG 185 or Siemens Lokpool Taurus are maned.
In the last few years DPU comes across the Atlantic! I know that in Switzerland the SBB use DPU´s today
Actually, if I may chime in here. BNSF used to run a 135 car loaded coalie from the PRB to one of the plants down in Alabama. When this train arrived Lincoln, it would only have 1 up front and one in back in DPU mode. I know that sounds alot for a 135 car coal. But I have seen this before and I have seen pics of this train. When it reaches Lincoln, there are 2 more added-(one up front and one on back for 2-2 setup. This runs like this down there and back. So, just thought you might want to know.
Dru
Dru - I have seen that train - but only once. Most of them out of here (Lincoln) are 1 front and 1 back. So now I know what the two/two was! Very interesting!
Mookie
You haven’t seen the local UTU bumper snickers?
“Ban Coal Mining & Fossil Fuels - Let The Bastards FREEZE In The DARK!!”
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They typically run about 110-125 loaded cars.
The typical UP coal train to Arkansas and Texas is 135 cars with some at 150. 3 C44AC’s in a 2x1 DPU configuration.
Dave H.
To Alabama? To where? Does BNSF go there directly or is there a run-through with CSX or NS? Do you have more details?
Dave:
Alabama Power’s Miller Generating Station, northwest of Birmingham, receives average of 2.5 trains daily via BNSF (all BNSF move)
Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer, 40 miles north of Macon, receives average of 2.5 trains daily via BNSF-NS.
OS
What ever happend to the BATH TUB’s?
The BNSF runs trains from Powder River Basin in Montana directly to Superior, Wisconsin’s Allouezz coal docks.
Yesterday I saw three SD70MAC’s with one Dash-9 all BNSF heading North with all empty hoppers going to the powder river Basin
The PRB trains that come into the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal are dumped in Superior. The Alouez docks are the BN ore docks. (about 5 mi away.
I work as a Contractor for them so I am on the site 3 days per week.
Here is the latest skinny .
The PRB coal trains started up Monday Feb 7
123-125 cars each 3 AC units on the front (in the winter Nov. to Jan they run 2 on the front and one pushing from the rear.)
Last year there were over 18,000,000 tons of coal transhiped.
This year they are on track to ship 20,000,000 tons.
Last year they recieved 5 trains per day.
1,000 foot lake boats hold about 65,000 tons of coal. (at summer draft.)
The really interesting thing to me is that all of this economic activity takes place with little to no iinconvience to Superior residents.
The trains slip into town on the west side (no major grade crossings) and slip right out again. Absolutely Sweet!!
Interesting story.
Last Monday when the first train of the season arrived we had more bosses underfoot than you could shake a stick at.
The train arrived a little after 9:00 AM, to be met by a sea of polished work boots,clean coveralls and white hard hats.
It was a fiasco with all of them arround,one problem after annother.
The shift changed at 4:00 PM and all of the white shirts went home.
By 5:00 PM coal was being dumped with no problems whatsoever.
Kurt.
Bathtub gons have pretty much gone the way of other steel coal gondolas–used in scrap service or other such mundane uses. They had an advantage over the conventional steel gons of being able to haul more coal closer to the rail, but aluminum gons were even lighter, and thus far more economical. The conversion from steel coal cars to aluminum by major power companies happened over a relatively short period of time–maybe while I blinked once!
Although I don’t know this for sure, the Bethgon, with a distinct center sill, probably offers a structural advantage over the Bathtub cars which depend on stronger side sills for support. I don’t believe I ever saw an aluminum Bathtub car built by anyone.
Oh–the manufacturers of the Bathtub gon and its close cousins generally are no longer making coal cars of any sort, if they’re in business at all.