On the Canadian National's Grand Trunk Western line most days there is a pattern of two to three trains closely following, then the tracks remain empty for 2 to 3 hours, sometimes 4 to 6 hours.
Are the large windows of empty track typically because of track maintenance or track inspections?
Are all the crews headed Westbound or Eastbound on the exact same schedule so the trains have to be in motion at the same time?
Thank you.
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That's often known as 'fleeting' of trains. Both directions ?
'Back in the day', that would be characteristic of 2nd and 3rd sections of the lead train (freights did that as well as passengers).
Single track ? If so, how far each way to the nearest siding that will clear most trains ? Or to the nearest yard/ terminal ? Or to a junction where 1 or more could split off to a different direction ?
Compare with this article:
Otherwise, it would seem to be a good way to congest the next yard/ terminal.
- Paul North.
There is one single track section between Schoolcraft, Michigan and Penn, Michigan on the mostly Double Track Grand Trunk Western.
Today it was Westbound: Intermodal train, followed closely by an empty coal hopper and gondola train, then a little bit later was a second intermodal train. The one Eastbound was a loaded coal gondola train.
The only thing truly predictable about the major carriers today is their unpredictability.
There are a number of things that enter into when a train gets run.
When is the traffic available, switched and ready to depart?When is sufficient power available to move the train that is ready?When is there a RESTED crew available to move the train?What trains on the territory are running for the dogs? (Hours of Service)What kind of territory is the train beind dispatched to - single or double track?What is the fluidity condition of the destination terminal?What kind of, if any, major maintenance operations are taking place on the intended route of the train?Has a prior train had a car or locomotive incident that has backed up all traffic on the route?On single track routes, do all sidings fit the maximum size trains being run in each direction? On some routes I am familiar with, trains in one direction are limited to 7500 feet and trains in the other direction have no limit. Train size and siding size affect how the territory gets dispatched.
...and 1001 other happenings and situations that affect the movement of trains over a territory.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Lotsa variables. We'll see the same thing on the CSX Chicago Line at Utica - several trains running on the previous train's greens, then it's dead quiet for several hours.
Sometimes Amtrak figures into the mix - you'll see a halo effect, even on two-track mains.
It might help to know what the trains are - if they are run-throughs, it all depends on what time they get the hand-off. The coal trains will be dependent on how they're handled at the dump facility.
Back in the sixties, when I was walking to junior high school in Milford, C&O would fleet three southbounds through in the time it took me to walk to school (about 20 minutes). Given the heavy auto parts nature of the business at the time, they probably started in Saginaw or Flint, and that wasn't far from Plymouth.
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Fleeting is famous on the Union Pacific.
Hypothetically, say 8 trains meet 7. When the 7 are all put in sidings, each switch is thrown only once (and of course the return cycle) instead of numerous times in constant in-and-out situations. Thus, less switch maintenance is needed. Less fuel is used too. There is logic to the fleeting madness!
UP also often uses 12-hour windows on such places as the Sunset Route and over Tehachapi. Fleeting works in those situations too. Railfans can rejoice and breakout the Champaign during window fleeting in action, and weep during big windows of quietness.
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