Loaded CN ore train with 198 new ore jennies head south on CN’s Neenah Sub just south of Neenah Wisconsin
[tup] !
+1
New ore jennies! Will wonders never cease??[swg] I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ore jenny less than 40 years old.
What is the weight capacity of each jenny?
The pics that I have seen (this was my first ore train so I watched and filmed rather than obxerved) the load limit is around 175,000ish with a car weight of 45,000ish
(not my account) http://www.flickr.com/photos/danbraun/5404913911/
UMLER indicates they were built in November 2010
Gross allowable weight on rail 220,000 pounds
Tare 47,000 pounds +
Load Limit 173,000 -
Their lenght is 24 feet and they have 1150 cu.ft. of capacity
I should get my videos uploaded later this afternoon/evening, but I’ve seen some of the trains that Paul (the thread starter) has. CN just took delivery of some new jennies from ARI (American Railcar Industries-see the Trackside Lounge 1Q thread where I put some technical specs and a link). They had build dates of 1/2011 and 2/2011. We seem to be averaging around 1 ore train/day on most days. Some days we get more. One day last week we had 5.
This is a link to a photo that shows any “difference” between the National Steel Car (NSC) jenny and the American Railcar Industries (ARI) jenny:
I haven’t seen either of these types of car drawbarred together…yet.
…and one of the 50 year old jennies (who made these?):
These cars had drawbarred sets of threes and fours within the train. It was on a U758 (south from Stevens Point, stop at Neenah where it turns north and goes up the Fox River Sub to Green Bay and then continues north on the Manistique Sub to it’s destination) and not the U780 or U790’s that interchange with other railroads. As I recall these cars are too old to be interchanged without some kind of FRA exemption so that’s likely why they’re on an all CN run whereas the other’s (NSC
I wonder how much distance that train would cover if somebody got nailed by it? At the speed he was going he might push somebody intop a neighboring state before getting it stopped.
The train went by me at about 30mph. I was hoping to get it at least 40 or so. Track speed here is 50mph (unless that changed from a year ago).
Just did the Math if those Jennies were loaded to full Capacity then the train with 4 engines weighed over 22K tons or 45,160,000 lbs not something to step in front of. Yet sooner or later there will be an idiot that will. With less than .78 HP a ton accelaration is notgoing to be a strong point for this one.
I just got my copy of Railroads Illustrated (March issue) in the mail today. In the “Ore roads” column, it was noted that the new cars are restricted to 40 m.p.h. maximum speed when loaded (50 when empty). Still, that’s better than the 30 m.p.h. limit that the older cars are limited to.
Dan, I’ll ask around about builders for those older cars.
Paul:
Thanks for posting this video! I tend to agree with Carl, Dan and Paul from the Windy. [tup][tup]
What I found really facinating was the accompanying Video in the library on the right side of the screen. Specifically this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UevBK6dRmkE&feature=related
" The Grain Train in Harrison Yard" ( nee; Johnston Yard in Memphis, Tn.) One of my favrite train watching
locations .
The unusual thing in the grain train was the Montana Rail Link loco in DPU in the train.
Also what in the world was a string of ore jennies (the ones from the video(?), or another new set?? set.) Especially, sitting in the middle of a rail yard in Memphs,Tenn.
Leads one to speculate; what in the heck is going on?
Is CN now hauling ore into South Louisiana or another port on the Gulf?
Sam, I’m not sure precisely where Marmaduke, Arkansas, is, but that’s a major carbuilding location for American Railcar Industries. If these ore cars were built at Marmaduke, Memphis may be the point where CN accepts them.
Sam,
The company is American Railcar Industries (ARI): http://americanrailcar.com/Default.aspx
I do believe that the new ARI jennies are accepted at Memphis. A U757 (empties down from the Manistique Sub/Green Bay/Fox River Sub then turn north @ Neenah-went up on Neenah Sub/Superior Sub) is almost home as it’s just north of Stevens Point, WI.
Carl & Dan, Thanks!
American Railcar in Marmaduke,Ar. was a new one on me.
Marmadule is in NE Arkansas on the former MoPac line that come down from Missouri. IT used to be mostly a swamill and timber production area, with a little cotton to the east of the swamps and marshes.
Those cars would possibly have to come down the UPRR into Memphis, which would be the closest railroad river crossing of the Mississippi ( to the North, it would be the Thebes Railroad Bridge south of the Cape Giradeau area.
The deadhead move would be (a guess) about 120 to as much as 150 mi depending on the route (BNSF and UP are both in Jonesboro,Ar.)
Still is kind of strange to see ore jennies in Memphis.
Here’s a link to my video of three of the loaded ore trains. It’s about 9 minutes long in total.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUfsDCwvhIM
CN tried to reinvent the wheel with these cars, just a terrible failure. They are going to get someone killed one of these days.
Before I went south to catch this train, he stopped to drop off a passenger at Kampo Rd. The rear end was in front of me and I got a good chance to look at the space in between the cars. I’m a bigger guy and I think there is no way I could safely connect the air hoses.
Doesnt seem like they tried to reinvent the wheel, more like management had a good idea. Anyways, any crew that has to work around these cars, be safe
Could it be lower sales tax? Seem to recall that was an item of other RR equipment deliveries?