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Is this the most powerful train to run on the network? And what was it's purpose?

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SteveyBee131

SteveyBee131

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I've seen various pictures and footage of these workings today:

Realtime Trains - 398A 1146 P'boro Eastfield Jn. to Doncaster

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains - 399A 1256 Doncaster to P'boro Eastfield Jn.

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk www.realtimetrains.co.uk

With 2 HST power cars and 2 class 91s, which were all taking power, that makes 17,100 horsepower!

Not counting class 374 Eurostars (the newer ones) as they only run on HS1, or Eurotunnel trains, has anything more powerful ever run on the network?

I gather it might be some sort of test train, but what exactly was it's purpose?

I couldn't find anything about said train elsewhere on here, but if I've missed it feel free to redirect me :D
 
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DB

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They would have needed multiple drivers if they were all powering - there wouldn't be any connection between the power cars, so two drivers there. As regards the 91s, at least one driver, and depends on whether they still have RCH jumpers which would allow them to send the TDM signal through the coach lighting control circuits (seem to recall reading that the RCH jumpers were removed from 91s at the last refurbishment?)
 
SteveyBee131

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DavidB said:
They would have needed multiple drivers if they were all powering - there wouldn't be any connection between the power cars, so two drivers there. As regards the 91s, at least one driver, and depends on whether they still have RCH jumpers which would allow them to send the TDM signal through the coach lighting control circuits (seem to recall reading that the RCH jumpers were removed from 91s at the last refurbishment?)
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I couldn't say for sure, but in the footage I've seen of it there was too much sound emanating from the relevant places for them to not all be taking power.
 
43096

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DavidB said:
They would have needed multiple drivers if they were all powering - there wouldn't be any connection between the power cars, so two drivers there. As regards the 91s, at least one driver, and depends on whether they still have RCH jumpers which would allow them to send the TDM signal through the coach lighting control circuits (seem to recall reading that the RCH jumpers were removed from 91s at the last refurbishment?)
Click to expand...
Why would the two power cars have needed a driver in each? Could just run a 36-way jumper through the train.
 
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43096 said:
Why would the two power cars have needed a driver in each? Could just run a 36-way jumper through the train.
Click to expand...

I'd assumed they hadn't if it was a one off - I guess if there are any close up photos this would show one way or the other!
 
AlexNL

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According to this tweet the 91s weren't taking power, they had their pans up for overhead line monitoring purposes:
Yes, HST power cars (class 43) are the motive power; the 91 (there’s one at each end) is pan up for Olé calibration/monitoring/recording purposes.
Click to expand...
 
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swt_passenger

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Back when NR had a couple of 86s for OHLE testing weren’t they modified internally, into half a traction package and half load bank? When testing the OHLE it’s more to do with drawing controllable exact currents, rather than just whacking a high load on the system.

Are these 91s fully functional as locos still?
 
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4 piddling locos? Amateurs (not in the UK though):
www.frutiglaender.ch

Lok-Parade auf dem Viadukt

Ein eher unübliches Bild am Montagnachmittag, von der Tellenburg aus aufgenommen: Sechs farbenfrohe Lokomotiven auf Spazierfahrt. Gemäss BLS AG handelte es sich dabei um Tests im Zusammenhang mit der Modernisierung des Lokomotivtyps Re 465. Dieser wird unter anderem mit der ZMS-Mehrfachtraktion aus…
www.frutiglaender.ch www.frutiglaender.ch
(Only 4 are actually driving, in order to test interop - the last 2 are providing a simulated load.)
 
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That may look impressive, but those locos are barely over 2MW, so that train is "only" around 20MW (didn't count too exactly, but it seemed to be around 10 locos). Whereas that 6-loco european train has 6MW locomotives, or close to 36MW total. (So you can even get 4 loco trains that will outpower that american weakling train :p - size isn't everything after all: https://twitter.com/AtkosKhan/status/1228455317673062400/photo/1 )
 
rebmcr

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USRailFan said:
The Americans laugh at Europe and it's wimpy trains
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In the meantime, Europe laughs at America for its track condition, passenger services, and — *checks notes* — ah yes, everything else about the country.
 
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GatwickDepress

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Play nice, everyone! I think we can all appreciate USRailFan's post as lighthearted as well as the impressive length of American freight trains.
 
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talltim

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James James said:
That may look impressive, but those locos are barely over 2MW, so that train is "only" around 20MW (didn't count too exactly, but it seemed to be around 10 locos). Whereas that 6-loco european train has 6MW locomotives, or close to 36MW total. (So you can even get 4 loco trains that will outpower that american weakling train :p - size isn't everything after all: https://twitter.com/AtkosKhan/status/1228455317673062400/photo/1 )
Click to expand...
What’s the power to weight ratio tho? (when you include the weight of the power station)
 
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talltim said:
What’s the power to weight ratio tho? (when you include the weight of the power station)
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Not sure, but you'll need to tell me how heavy the refinery and oil wells for the diesel train are :).

(The Swiss one is using hydro, so it's a bit hard to figure out what the right number is - just the turbine and generator, the pipework, the entire lake?).
 
ac6000cw

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James James said:
That may look impressive, but those locos are barely over 2MW, so that train is "only" around 20MW (didn't count too exactly, but it seemed to be around 10 locos). Whereas that 6-loco european train has 6MW locomotives, or close to 36MW total. (So you can even get 4 loco trains that will outpower that american weakling train :p - size isn't everything after all: https://twitter.com/AtkosKhan/status/1228455317673062400/photo/1 )
Click to expand...

Actually, all the (nine) locos on the American train are around 3 to 3.3 MW (4000 to 4400 hp) each - so if they were all running (which they're not, it would be far too much tractive effort on the front of a heavy train) they'd total about 30 MW.

Over 20 years ago GE and EMD did develop 6000 hp (4.5 MW) diesel locos but the railroads that bought them decided that 4400 hp per loco was sufficient for their needs, so AFAIK all of those built are now either scrapped or rebuilt/downgraded into 4400 hp units. I saw a 6000 hp GE AC6000CW loco hauling freight on the CSX railroad once - the meanest sounding vehicle on steel wheels I've ever heard :)
 
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