Train Destination, Origin, and other stuff

[Anonymous]

I am fascinated with train symbols. For example a UP Auto train from Denver to Griffith: ADVGF. Ive noticed that some people are able to identify trains with such ease. I am horrible at it. Any tips on how I can get better?

[tree68]

You have to be familiar with the railroad in question. Many symbols will be intuitive (ie, A=Auto (I think),DV=Denver, GF=Griffith), but will make more sense if you understand some basic routing and major facilities (Griffith is undoubtedly a yard, not a city). I'm no expert on western roads, but I think that BNSF might use three letter codes for end stations (ie, CHI=Chicago).

Here in the northeast, both NS and CSX use symbols that have virtually no relationship to endpoints. For example, Q620, Q621, Q622, and Q623 all run through my area, but two orginate at Dewitt (Syracuse) and two at Selkirk (Albany). On top of that, Q621 and Q622 are the northbounds. Q620 and Q623 are the southbounds. No rhyme or reason. The prefix letter and number series tell you a little about the type of train, but not much more. IIRC, NS just uses a three digit number...

Some Googling and chats with railfans familiar with the schemes will help you a lot.

[Anonymous]

For intermodal, BNSF uses this sort of symbology...

ZWSPLAC-11

Z - hottest priority intermodal
WSP=Origin is Willow Springs Intermodal Ramp in Chicago
LAC = Dest is Los Angeles
11 = Scheduled to depart WSP on the 11th of the month

Follow that for this one ... Z-WSPSBD-12
intermodal / Willow Springs / San Bernardino / on the 12th

BNSF also uses a Q in front of their premium (2nd tier) intermodal trains.

Union Pacific uses Z or I prefixes on their trains and a 2 character city / city pair symbol ( I LADU 17 ) I = intermodal / LA to Dupo (St Louis) departing on the 17th.

[MP173]

In the case of the UP Denver-Griffith auto train...Griffith is a junction with the CN. The train is running on the EJE, probably from West Chicago. At Griffith it becomes possibly CN train 250 or 276, both of which are empty auto rack trains going back to the Detroit area.

I am also fascinated by train symbols, the freight carried, etc. I really dont have any suggestions for you regarding BNSF or UP,since I am on the "other side" of Chicago. CN, CSX, and NS all use number series.

Ed

[M636C]

Most long distance freight trains in Australia have a four digit alphanumeric designator which is worked out as follows.

First figure day of departure, Sunday=1 to Saturday=7

Second and third letters Origin and Destination, A= Adelaide, B=Brisbane, M=Melbourne, N=Newcastle, P=Perth, S=Sydney, W=Wollongong, Y=Whyalla (and so on)

Fourth number, train designator, from 1 upward in each direction.

So the "Pride of the South" -MB2, the fastest intermodal, runs from Brisbane to Melbourne, and appears around 1700 in my part of the world, the Cullerin range, the highest point of the Sydney Melbourne line, the day following its day of departure from Brisbane, so 6MB2 is seen on Saturday.

Other trains have simpler four digit numbers. Grain trains from Port Kembla to Cootamundra are, for example, 3915 for "down" empty trains and 9316 for "up" loaded trains. In this case "3" stands for Port Kembla, "9" for Cootamundra (a major junction for grain traffic). "Down" trains (away from Sydney) have odd numbers, "Up" trains towards Sydney have even numbers.

Passenger trains have a letter for the line, N=North, W=West, S=South followed by a letter for the type of train, L=Locomotive hauled, T=XPT (High Speed lightweight locomotives) or S=Self Propelled (Diesel Railcars, like Budd RDCs).

The Southbound Sydney Melbourne XPT is ST1, the Melbourne Sydney return being ST2.

Peter

[CShaveRR]

Get better? It sounds like you already have the basics--all you need is a destination list, and maybe a list of the train-type prefixes!

I hate to suggest it on a Trains forum, but you might want to look at a magazine like CTC Board, in which the news items deal more often with specific trains--by reading the articles you'll be able to figure out a few more destinations and origins. And I'm sure there are sites on Yahoo or somewhere (I'd direct you to them if I knew myself) that will provide lists of at least the important destination pairs.

Beyond that, one word of caution: on UP, at least, the same letter codes can be used for more than one destination--usually it will be used for one fairly important locale and a few local destinations, and you just have to know the context--if you see a Z train or a Q train with "PO" in it, chances are that it will be Portland instead of Podunk!

[jabrown1971]

CNW used to use Alpha to actuall designate their trains PRCGA GCPRA EMGCA GCEMA, these were the trains that passed through Edwardsville, Il for the better part of my childhood. The railroaders referred to them as 1, 2, 3 and 4.