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Most freight locomotives are geared for 70-73 mph maximum speeds, and most operating practices limit freight trains to 70mph maximum or less. BNSF did run test UPS "Bullet Trains" with high speed geared units up to 79mph, but UPS didn't want to pay the cost of delays such a fast train causes to other trains, and BNSF has a whole fleet of hot trains that equal or better the fastest schedules on other RRs, so that cost was not inconsequential. UP "bought" the business by offering the service without the premium price; they have less hot traffic to delay and were trying to win points with UPS. Result was UP has been paying UPS to highway haul their loads because they can't handle it (gotta love new twists on old UP slogans LOL), and now UP has canceled the contract for this business they bought from BNSF (and the extreme high speed schedule business will stay on the highway for now since UPS doesn't want to pay BNSF for the premium service). Super C used to run 90mph in many places, since ATSF had plenty of ATS equipped sections of mainline - and curves superelevated for high speed passenger trains. Today, much of the ATS is gone, and the curves have less elevation as well as the focus is now solidly on freight as opposed to passenger. 79mph is doable if somebody wants to pay the bill. You've got to be impressed with BNSF's ability to run the Bullet Trains fast enough to match the Super C's old Chicago - LA times (UNDER 40 hours!) given the tremendous traffic levels they have today and despite losing some of their top speed capacity, but replacing some of the ability to run at 90mph with more 2 MT/CTC on the "Transcon." As for Federal Law, without ATS (Automatic Train Stop) or some modern train separation system, maximum authorized speed is 79mph. This by the way has NOTHING to do with "safety" in terms of 80mph or higher needing such safety appliances; it was the government's way of trying to force the RRs into expanding their ATS systems post WWII. The RRs reaction, more often than not, was to simply slow their trains down.
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