2 car train

[pat390]

Last night me and my dad were up at the NS main between Chicago and Fort Wayne (I think thats right) and we were waiting for a train that we saw come around the bend down the track, it was tottaly dark and all we could see was where the car headlights were pointed. The loco came through "wow I havent seen an old Soo loco in a while!" 2 empty lumber cars roll by nad that was it. Me and my dad burst out laughing. but anyways, why would NS run such a short train of seemingly unimportant cars on such a busy line, could they have been needed to assemble another train or possibly a shortage of cars at a crucial time? any info would be appreciated,
thanks,
pat

[dehusman]

It could be a local.

Dave H.

[csxengineer98]

could be a local... could be hot cars...hot cars are ones that are running so late that if they dont get to the customer soon..the customer will pull its shiping contract with the railroad... if it is a big customer such as GM, Ford, UPS.. you know, the big deep pocket shippers.. that it will hurt like hell to the bottom line if they lose the contract...so if cars are that hot..railroads have and will run a train with only a few cars in order to get them thier befor the customer goes thermo-nuclear and pulls the contract....
csx engineer

[railfan619]

Yea I have seen trains like that before where it has only been 1 or 2 cars long and the train is movin like a bat out of H--- to get somewhere and yes I do beleave they are considered locos and I do know one thing that milwaukee has a bunch of loco's running though here all of the time in fact I have seen about 4or5 them in the past week up by where. I work but usally the train has come from the UP butler yard and it has about 5-8 cars on it and they serve a bunch of bussinsess from junk yards to big factories and then it goes and interchanges with the Wisconsin and Southern up off of Browndeer road.

[miniwyo]

I have seen that just recently. A new GEVO with 2 flatcars, both with brand new CAT scrapers on them.

I also just recently saw 3 Dash 9/AC4400 and an SD40-2 with a Mopac Caboose that is used for local trains. .