Harlesden
Member
Cannot see a specific freight category on here.
Freight trains in the US can be up to 3,500 metres long (no idea why freight is metric) although that limit can be doubled by use of a second locomotive either in the middle or at the back.
The danger of one locomotive trying to pull say 250 wagons lies in the risk of derailment as the train is hauled around a curve.
I sense it is the rather tight curves in the UK rail system that keeps freight trains short. (Anyone on here with a freight-related website please holler back as I would enjoy a good read).
When transporting a train of flat containers, double stacking is often used.
Long trains also mean fewer trains which allows for fast running in desert or rural areas and also permits safe running through "dark territory", stretches of track in rural areas where there are no lineside signals whatsoever. The train stops and starts on the orders of a dispatcher by means of Track Warrants acknowledged (repeated back) by the train engineer and written down following a strict format laid down by General Code of Operating Rules.
Most railfans in the US concentrate their attentions on freight (passenger is a little dull so I understand) and enthusiastic railfans are sometimes disparagingly referred to as "foamers" by rail workers.
Freight trains in the US can be up to 3,500 metres long (no idea why freight is metric) although that limit can be doubled by use of a second locomotive either in the middle or at the back.
The danger of one locomotive trying to pull say 250 wagons lies in the risk of derailment as the train is hauled around a curve.
I sense it is the rather tight curves in the UK rail system that keeps freight trains short. (Anyone on here with a freight-related website please holler back as I would enjoy a good read).
When transporting a train of flat containers, double stacking is often used.
Long trains also mean fewer trains which allows for fast running in desert or rural areas and also permits safe running through "dark territory", stretches of track in rural areas where there are no lineside signals whatsoever. The train stops and starts on the orders of a dispatcher by means of Track Warrants acknowledged (repeated back) by the train engineer and written down following a strict format laid down by General Code of Operating Rules.
Most railfans in the US concentrate their attentions on freight (passenger is a little dull so I understand) and enthusiastic railfans are sometimes disparagingly referred to as "foamers" by rail workers.