What is the longest train you have ever seen?

[mvlandsw]

I was the rear end helper on a solid train of auto racks that was 2 1/4 miles long. I don't remember how many cars. I double headed a train of empty coal hoppers with 204 cars. Trains on the CSX ex NYC water level route are allowed to be 14,00 ft long.

[Anonymous]

Dear Sirs,


Years ago the Railway Shortened Up all the Sidings on Paper in the Time Card as they finally realized that, for some reason, a Siding that held 80 40 Ft. boxes would NOT hold 80 Auto Racks or the new Bulkhead Flats.


Some Conductors did not get the Concept either, resulting in Spillage and the Calling Out of the Auxiliary Crane as they pushed right thru Siding hitting their own Train on the Main at the Far End


The Time Card said 40 Cars. He Rode the Head End over and saw the Siding Clear in Headlight as went by. Set Off 36 Flats, Shoving Blind, as lots of Room! You get the Picture.


How Long in Feet is the Longest Train Seen?

[Junctionfan]

Longest passenger train I have seen was leaving the Union Station in Toronto heading to Vancouver. VIA train 1 "Canadian" 42 cars including 4 observation cars.

[Eddystone]

In the mid 70's I saw a Amtrak 27 car passenger train on the North East Corridor going towards Wash. D.C. pulled by 1 GG-1.

[Willy2]

The most I've seen one engine pull was a 117 car empty coal train. Usually don't bother to count cars, but when I see a train with a lot of engines or just one engine, I do count.

[Rick Gates]

Longest I ever ran was 202 empty coal hoopers with 3 Geeps and I think 2 SD40-2's. Went from Morgantown Power Plant in Southern Md. to Bayview Yard in Baltimore. This was back in the early 80's and the main thing I remember about it was that any of the train handling I was used to doing on the grades was of no use. Trying to guess when to set-up for Dynamic braking for instance was hard because I couldn't accurately judge when the weight of the train would start shoving me downhill. Like all things it would take some getting used to.

[gabe]

Wow, I am amazed that I didn't see any obvious "fish" stories on here--as length of train stories often become in my part of the woods. I once saw a NS mixed freight with 162 cars on it, on the old Wabash line between Decatur, IL and St. Louis (very flat). The kicker was that there was only an SD-60 powering the freight. Never heard an engine ruble like that before. My Dad says he saw a 235 car fright train on the CNW line between Peoria and St. Louis--although with 8 units (also very flat).

[espeefoamer]

I saw an empty coal train on the C&O in 1967 that was around 300 cars.
The longest train I saw pulled by one engine was 103 cars northbound out of Bakersfield.This was pulledby a UP SD40-2 back in the 70s.

[Anonymous]

The Three Rivers about 20 freight box cars and 4 passenger cars. HA Ha Ha
but really a Ns train with about 150-170 cars on it.

[Anonymous]

I saw a 200 car grain train on CP being pulled By Ac4400cw and a SD40-2 you would think there would be at least one Sd90Mac on the train This was on branch line in Saskatchewan they had stored grain cars for the winter and brought them back to the terminal and decide there going to bring the 200 cars back so they wouldn't make 2 trips back and forth

[Anonymous]

155 cars heading WB out of the Croxton Yards in Jersey City. Mostly empty boxies. The Erie was not a balanced RR, meaning that it carried more freight EB than it did WB.

As a matter of fact noted poet Joyce Kilmer wrote about the Erie boxcars. "The House with Nobody In It" begins with,

"Whenever I walk to Suffern along the Erie track ......"

[Anonymous]

I ran a mixed feight of 181 cars once. A nightmare.

LC

[tree68]

Around 180 empty coal hoppers - 2 unit trains worth, headed south through Rantoul, IL on ICG behind just two Geeps. It was obviously a short-of-motive-power move as those trains usually came true with a couple of units for half as many cars. Those Geeps were earning they keep that night.

[Anonymous]

I've seen coal trains above 150, never bother to count intermodels.

[cpbloom]

155 cars, all coal

[Mookie]

I answered this a long time ago and my answer remains the same - any coal train after the locomotives...

Sigh....

La Mook

[Hawks05]

last sunday, 126 cars. 4 locos leading. couldn't tell you what kind as i'm not that advanced yet. it really sucked but was a lot of fun. i parked my car on the opposite side of the tracks thinking it would be a really short train like usual. well it wasn't so i was stuck on the opposite side of my car and i wanted to leave. got a lot of pictures for sure though.

[Train Guy 3]

A dock switcher with 2 crewmen.

[athelney]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

CN Intermodal train, I believe it was 171 cars and 3 loco's......

It took a LOOOONG time to pass by the crossing, good times. [:)]

The CN and CP intermodals i've seen out in the valley are regularly loading to 12000ft , the eastbound empty car trains are being sent as double trains with up to 130 cars seen regularly . Back in 1978 when I worked for CP - they tried lifting 200 empty grain cars from the elevators in Vancouver - only to block several crossings when it arrived in Pt Coquitlam -- many complaints!!! -- don't think they tried it again !! -- Anyone know different .

[Anonymous]

CN Intermodal train, I believe it was 171 cars and 3 loco's......

It took a LOOOONG time to pass by the crossing, good times. [:)]

[Grinandbearit]

Tonight , CN 148 from Chicago to the Maritimes was 175 wells, flats and spine cars fully loaded , powered by a Dash 9,a Dash 8 and a SD75I. Once in a while we see mixed freights of 175 to 185 cars . Normally trains are 80 to 130 cars.

[Junctionfan]

I have seen a CN mixed freight from Buffalo to Toronto with only a C44-9W and a SD40-2W haul 178 cars. Insane huh!

[Anonymous]

Car length. 70 cars, 80 cars etc.