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car count
Sep 12, 2019 09:32:01   #
hippi Loc: Sedalia MO
 
just had a westbound train it had 142 cars 3 locos 2 in front one in the middle

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Sep 12, 2019 09:34:38   #
rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
 
Your point?!

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Sep 13, 2019 06:50:18   #
Stephan G
 
rmorrison1116 wrote:
Your point?!


Report from the field?

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Sep 13, 2019 07:55:26   #
tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas
 
hippi wrote:
just had a westbound train it had 142 cars 3 locos 2 in front one in the middle

Nice find! I enjoy counting cars and the longest train seen so far in three years of looking had 113 cars and four locomotives headed south.
Looking west from my balcony most of the northbound trains seen passing by haul cement from the large limestone queries in central Texas to the northwestern states. Those trains usually have a max of 50 cars and three or four locomotives - two or three at front and the remainder at the rear. I'm supposing because of the heavy loading.
Trains traveling in a southerly direction are much longer unless it is a short string of a half dozen or more locomotives and a few tank and box cars. The much longer trains traveling south are made up mostly of empty cement hopper cars and all the engines are at the front. Those longer trains usually have three locomotives at front and must be close to or longer than a mile - can't see the whole train at one time though.
Looking south (from another balcony) there is not as much open area to see the east/west trains. They are more often or not hauling double stacked containers or new vehicles in long slatted cattle car looking designs. Those train rigs usually have modules of three flatbeds supported by four sets of wheels instead of the six used with a typical string of three cars.
Amazing how enjoyable it is having the time to sit and smell the roses (so to speak) in retirement!

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Sep 13, 2019 10:38:25   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
hippi wrote:
just had a westbound train it had 142 cars 3 locos 2 in front one in the middle


There is nothing unusual about a train that size. In fact, it is rather average on many routes. In Southern California typical EB (East Bound) or WB unit trains are in excess of 180 cars and two-miles long pulled by four to six or more head end units mid-train units and one or two end units depending the grade percentages of the track.

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Sep 14, 2019 11:39:56   #
ghill42 Loc: Colorado
 
Railroads use longer trains whenever feasible as the cost advantages are numerous. For one thing, fewer crews. Labor is always expendable.

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