Running trains side by side

[JoeKoh]

I know trains pull over into sidings to let other trains pass.I have also seen non stop meets.(trains going opposite directions).I didn't get a chance to take pictures but how often do trains run side by side going in the same direction?I have only seen it twice.Once was a power move overtaking a freight but these two frieghts saturday were side by side.any thoughts?
stay safe[:)]
joe

[JoeKoh]

I know trains pull over into sidings to let other trains pass.I have also seen non stop meets.(trains going opposite directions).I didn't get a chance to take pictures but how often do trains run side by side going in the same direction?I have only seen it twice.Once was a power move overtaking a freight but these two frieghts saturday were side by side.any thoughts?
stay safe[:)]
joe

[dehusman]

On multiple track territory it happens very frequently.

When I commuted on the Paoli local (ex PRR Main Line west out of Phillie) it would sometimes take us 3 or 4 stops to pass a long freight.

[dehusman]

On multiple track territory it happens very frequently.

When I commuted on the Paoli local (ex PRR Main Line west out of Phillie) it would sometimes take us 3 or 4 stops to pass a long freight.

[Modelcar]

....Years ago it was pretty common practice of trains passing each other on Horseshoe curve near Altoona, Pa....Perhaps it still happens to some degree. It was 4 tracks in the past but 3 are still there so it can still happen.

[Modelcar]

....Years ago it was pretty common practice of trains passing each other on Horseshoe curve near Altoona, Pa....Perhaps it still happens to some degree. It was 4 tracks in the past but 3 are still there so it can still happen.

[therailnut]

Here on the Chilli sub (BNSF)in Galesburg it is quite frequent. it is double track main from Chicago to KC.There are always trains going through here passing one another. Faster ones overtake the slower ones. Most of the time though the dispatcher will have the slower train stop and let faster one crossover in front of the slower one.

[therailnut]

Here on the Chilli sub (BNSF)in Galesburg it is quite frequent. it is double track main from Chicago to KC.There are always trains going through here passing one another. Faster ones overtake the slower ones. Most of the time though the dispatcher will have the slower train stop and let faster one crossover in front of the slower one.

[Nora]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

....Years ago it was pretty common practice of trains passing each other on Horseshoe curve near Altoona, Pa....Perhaps it still happens to some degree. It was 4 tracks in the past but 3 are still there so it can still happen.

Yes, saw this just last month! We only spent about a half hour at Horseshoe Curve (drizzly weather, cranky baby and it was closing time). Right as soon as we got there...here comes a train...and another...and another. So we got to see three at once, two going uphill and one downhill. It was very cool!

--Nora

[Nora]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

....Years ago it was pretty common practice of trains passing each other on Horseshoe curve near Altoona, Pa....Perhaps it still happens to some degree. It was 4 tracks in the past but 3 are still there so it can still happen.

Yes, saw this just last month! We only spent about a half hour at Horseshoe Curve (drizzly weather, cranky baby and it was closing time). Right as soon as we got there...here comes a train...and another...and another. So we got to see three at once, two going uphill and one downhill. It was very cool!

--Nora

[oltmannd]

Rode quite a few intermodal trains from Selkirk NY to Cleveland and back. Of all the trips, there was one were the train I was on over took a train with both operating at or near track speed. As I remember it, we had just made a set-out at the ramp at Syracuse and were accelerating east. Just before we departed, at train departed the yard (Dewitt) and was headed east. They cleared the yard just as we were departing. There was nothing headed west on the double track for quite a while, so the dispatcher gave them track one and us track 2. Track speed for the freight train was 50 and it was 60 for us. Once we matched their speed, we were separated by roughly a mile. As our speed picked up toward 60, we started reeling them in. We were at 60 when we caught their marker. It was a little hairy at the road crossings. I was half expecting people to see the marker of the first train go by and then pull onto the crossing right in front of us. Fortunately, this didn't happen.

The engineer on our train stuck his neck out a bit and let the train continue to accelerate in notch 8. I guess he wanted to be sure we got past the other train before an opposing train showed up - to get one spot higher on the list for the next job west from Selkirk, I suppose. We topped out at 67 mph and were moving past the other train at a steady pace. The most exciting part of it was when we caught their head end and both trains were blowing for the road crossings nearly simultaneously.

I don't completely remember, but I suspect it took us 30-40 miles to complete this "passing" manuever.

[oltmannd]

Rode quite a few intermodal trains from Selkirk NY to Cleveland and back. Of all the trips, there was one were the train I was on over took a train with both operating at or near track speed. As I remember it, we had just made a set-out at the ramp at Syracuse and were accelerating east. Just before we departed, at train departed the yard (Dewitt) and was headed east. They cleared the yard just as we were departing. There was nothing headed west on the double track for quite a while, so the dispatcher gave them track one and us track 2. Track speed for the freight train was 50 and it was 60 for us. Once we matched their speed, we were separated by roughly a mile. As our speed picked up toward 60, we started reeling them in. We were at 60 when we caught their marker. It was a little hairy at the road crossings. I was half expecting people to see the marker of the first train go by and then pull onto the crossing right in front of us. Fortunately, this didn't happen.

The engineer on our train stuck his neck out a bit and let the train continue to accelerate in notch 8. I guess he wanted to be sure we got past the other train before an opposing train showed up - to get one spot higher on the list for the next job west from Selkirk, I suppose. We topped out at 67 mph and were moving past the other train at a steady pace. The most exciting part of it was when we caught their head end and both trains were blowing for the road crossings nearly simultaneously.

I don't completely remember, but I suspect it took us 30-40 miles to complete this "passing" manuever.

[Modelcar]

.....Nora, too bad you had circumsances that gave you just a half hour there at the "Curve"....It can be an exciting place. I am an ex Pennsylvania resident so got to see operations on the "old" Pennsylvania along that route and into Johnstown...Which was only 20 miles from home. Have a niece up in your area...Meadville.

[Modelcar]

.....Nora, too bad you had circumsances that gave you just a half hour there at the "Curve"....It can be an exciting place. I am an ex Pennsylvania resident so got to see operations on the "old" Pennsylvania along that route and into Johnstown...Which was only 20 miles from home. Have a niece up in your area...Meadville.

[jchnhtfd]

oltmannd -- oh boy do I wish I'd been on that ride with you! 'Green with envy' just doesn't do it! Quite right about the hairy bit when you were close on the markers, but not quite there at grade crossings...

Years ago there was not quite the same thing in western Indiana, perhaps even more exciting: the old Broadway Limited and the Twentieth Century were scheduled into Chicago at just about the same time. The lines were close, and to watch the two of them racing at upwards of 90, a pair of K4s or T-1 in full song on one line and a Niagara or streamlined Hudson on the other was... awesome just doesn't do it.

[jchnhtfd]

oltmannd -- oh boy do I wish I'd been on that ride with you! 'Green with envy' just doesn't do it! Quite right about the hairy bit when you were close on the markers, but not quite there at grade crossings...

Years ago there was not quite the same thing in western Indiana, perhaps even more exciting: the old Broadway Limited and the Twentieth Century were scheduled into Chicago at just about the same time. The lines were close, and to watch the two of them racing at upwards of 90, a pair of K4s or T-1 in full song on one line and a Niagara or streamlined Hudson on the other was... awesome just doesn't do it.

[CShaveRR]

Trains running side by side happens by us (between Proviso and West Chicago on the UP) quite often...there are three tracks, so running two trains in the same direction is not a problem. As long as trains are restricted to different speeds, there's going to be the possibility--or even the desirability--of a fast train getting around a slower one. And when the speeds are 50 and 70, that's a genuine thrill!

[CShaveRR]

Trains running side by side happens by us (between Proviso and West Chicago on the UP) quite often...there are three tracks, so running two trains in the same direction is not a problem. As long as trains are restricted to different speeds, there's going to be the possibility--or even the desirability--of a fast train getting around a slower one. And when the speeds are 50 and 70, that's a genuine thrill!

[ironhorseman]

i've seen it once. kansas city, june 2001, on the north side of town across the river on the way to the downtown airport. there's a railroad bridge there and one train was following the other, only they were each on seperate tracks. my dad was with me and he thought they were on the same track and were gonna crash, but they weren't, just an optical illusion. the tracks lead into a yard there in north kansas city. the two trains weren't technically side by side yet, but the one behind was going faster and eventually probably passed the other. i checked my website and don't have a photo of it - yet. if i can find that picture i'll put it up under 'freight trains' in the next couple days.

[ironhorseman]

i've seen it once. kansas city, june 2001, on the north side of town across the river on the way to the downtown airport. there's a railroad bridge there and one train was following the other, only they were each on seperate tracks. my dad was with me and he thought they were on the same track and were gonna crash, but they weren't, just an optical illusion. the tracks lead into a yard there in north kansas city. the two trains weren't technically side by side yet, but the one behind was going faster and eventually probably passed the other. i checked my website and don't have a photo of it - yet. if i can find that picture i'll put it up under 'freight trains' in the next couple days.

[northwesterner]

About a month ago I was at Harlem Avenue on the BNSF racetrack out of Chicago. A west-bound (on the north-most track) Metra train made its stop at the station. As it was pulling out, an eastbound intermodal came by on the south-most track. About a minute later, it was passed by an east-bound coal train on the center track! Lots of engines and railcars, it was quite a sight.

[northwesterner]

About a month ago I was at Harlem Avenue on the BNSF racetrack out of Chicago. A west-bound (on the north-most track) Metra train made its stop at the station. As it was pulling out, an eastbound intermodal came by on the south-most track. About a minute later, it was passed by an east-bound coal train on the center track! Lots of engines and railcars, it was quite a sight.

[Anonymous]

The Union Pacific does it often out on the double track main West of Chicago. I have seen a hot intermodal overtake a slow rolling coaltrain, and I have seen at one point one truck trailer train, overtake an intermodal! That was quite the sight to see! Lots of SD-70's with flags! I have also seen it on the Web Cam. A truck trailer train overtook an auto train in less than a minute or so! The Norfolk Southern also does here in Decatur. Out East of town, there can be seen at one point, two trains rolling into town the same direction. Have seen two Triple Crown trains at one time! Also another sight to see!

[Anonymous]

The Union Pacific does it often out on the double track main West of Chicago. I have seen a hot intermodal overtake a slow rolling coaltrain, and I have seen at one point one truck trailer train, overtake an intermodal! That was quite the sight to see! Lots of SD-70's with flags! I have also seen it on the Web Cam. A truck trailer train overtook an auto train in less than a minute or so! The Norfolk Southern also does here in Decatur. Out East of town, there can be seen at one point, two trains rolling into town the same direction. Have seen two Triple Crown trains at one time! Also another sight to see!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ironhorseman

i've seen it once. kansas city, june 2001, on the north side of town across the river on the way to the downtown airport. there's a railroad bridge there and one train was following the other, only they were each on seperate tracks. my dad was with me and he thought they were on the same track and were gonna crash, but they weren't, just an optical illusion. the tracks lead into a yard there in north kansas city. the two trains weren't technically side by side yet, but the one behind was going faster and eventually probably passed the other. i checked my website and don't have a photo of it - yet. if i can find that picture i'll put it up under 'freight trains' in the next couple days.

That was the Hannibal bridge going into Murray yard, they were on 80 and 81 track. No real speed involved, they were both going to stop at the Ustic signal entering the yard, or one or the other or both will get a restricting going into the yard. Been held at that signal many times.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ironhorseman

i've seen it once. kansas city, june 2001, on the north side of town across the river on the way to the downtown airport. there's a railroad bridge there and one train was following the other, only they were each on seperate tracks. my dad was with me and he thought they were on the same track and were gonna crash, but they weren't, just an optical illusion. the tracks lead into a yard there in north kansas city. the two trains weren't technically side by side yet, but the one behind was going faster and eventually probably passed the other. i checked my website and don't have a photo of it - yet. if i can find that picture i'll put it up under 'freight trains' in the next couple days.

That was the Hannibal bridge going into Murray yard, they were on 80 and 81 track. No real speed involved, they were both going to stop at the Ustic signal entering the yard, or one or the other or both will get a restricting going into the yard. Been held at that signal many times.

[Anonymous]

I would love to see two trains race by eachother!

[Anonymous]

I would love to see two trains race by eachother!

[Anonymous]

One incident does stay with me. Some years ago, I was working the yard. At one point, I was pulling a cut of cars through the yard as another engine was pushing a cut in the same direction from the other end on the next track. I had a SD-9, he had a GP-30. I pulled along side and looked in the cab. The brakie was running the motor and the hogger was playing fireboy! He was sitting in the left hand seat facing the brakie and didn't notice me. The tracks are quite close together there, so I reached across the gap and clamped my paw on his left shoulder! He stiffened up, not knowing WHAT had him. This was in the middle of a freight yard at 8 mph! I said, "Hello, Clyde!" The brakeman started roaring with laughter. I apologizes to Clyde later, because although he was young, if he had a ticker problem, we might have lost him. But it was FREAKIN' FUNNY!

[Anonymous]

One incident does stay with me. Some years ago, I was working the yard. At one point, I was pulling a cut of cars through the yard as another engine was pushing a cut in the same direction from the other end on the next track. I had a SD-9, he had a GP-30. I pulled along side and looked in the cab. The brakie was running the motor and the hogger was playing fireboy! He was sitting in the left hand seat facing the brakie and didn't notice me. The tracks are quite close together there, so I reached across the gap and clamped my paw on his left shoulder! He stiffened up, not knowing WHAT had him. This was in the middle of a freight yard at 8 mph! I said, "Hello, Clyde!" The brakeman started roaring with laughter. I apologizes to Clyde later, because although he was young, if he had a ticker problem, we might have lost him. But it was FREAKIN' FUNNY!