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The Top 5 most traveled railroad lines in the US

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The Top 5 most traveled railroad lines in the US
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 21, 2005 11:36 PM
What are the Top 5 most traveled railroad lines in the US?
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 21, 2005 11:51 PM
Annual gross tonnage and number of train movements per day are the questions I have.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill

I can't tell from your question what it is you want. Some choices are:

-- annual gross tonnage
-- number of train movements per day
-- number of passengers per day

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 22, 2005 12:06 AM
Heavy rail, the ones where you get to see alot of the long freight trains go by.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill

They're not going to be the same thing, mind you -- they will be two separate lists. Did you want to include or exclude commuter rail, light rail, and heavy rail?
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 22, 2005 12:15 AM
I meant to ask you what is the Top 5 most railroad lines where you get to see a ton of the long freight trains go by?
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 22, 2005 12:33 AM
I apologize for the confusion, I only wanted the ones with the freight routes, I wouldn't mind seeing an Amtrak or a commuter train on the freight routes, I wanted to know what is some of the most traveled freight trains that goes by in certain towns with the shortest waits in between the freight trains, that's what I'm looking for, I like to count the freight cars and see how often the trains go by in an hour's length of time.

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Posted by Junctionfan on Monday, August 22, 2005 2:45 PM
Willard Subdivision of CSX between Fostoria and Deshler, Ohio must be one.
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Posted by Wdlgln005 on Monday, August 22, 2005 9:00 PM
BNSF's Chicago Racetrak must be high on the list. The hourly commuters add up, + 3 Amtrak + freight.

This may be a question that's impossible to answer. If you set up say at
La Grange Road & counted how many trains operate in each direction on a weekday?
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Posted by blhanel on Monday, August 22, 2005 9:05 PM
Rochelle's Railroad Park has GOTTA be in the Top Ten.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 22, 2005 10:10 PM
If what the questioner wants is total volume of freight traffic, wouldn't UP's triple track between Gibbon Junction and North Platte be up near the top of the list?
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 22, 2005 11:05 PM
The poor guy only wanted to know where a LOT of long freights trains run ...In typical "Foamer Fashion",Mr. Hemphill convoluted things way beyond what was required...UPRR6737, Don't apologise to these guys...Good Grief...I am a conductor on the BNSF Transcon out of Needles,California,running both to Barstow,Cal. to the west and to Winslow,Ariz. to the east...We get about 100 trains a day through here,most above 7,000 feet long,many going west with helpers or distrubuted power on the rear,or BOTH ...GRAIN trains usually have 4 head -end units, 3 mid train units & 2 or 3 on the rear...9 to 10 DASH-9,s totally ..
This is BIG TIME railroading on the Needles Sub.
Many stack trains (intermodal) have helpers,some trains exceed 8,000 feet long....
By the way,we go 70MPH with these monsters across the desert....IT MAKES EASTERN RAILROADING LOOK LAME, HUH....Hope this helps...
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 12:09 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill

Foamer? OK, I'll trade my railroad job for yours.
Lighten up,my friend,you know that a few take some of this WAY too seriously...You seem to be highly educated to the business aspects of railroading( YES,I have heard of you)....I sometimes wonder of your knowledge of RR operations,especially from a Train Crews point of view....Sorry,I could not resist the "Foamer" label....You must admit, We on the transcon see railroading not seen in the east...
By the way,A LOT of NS & CSX guys would kill to work out here for the long mileage paying jobs we have...They don't want to give up the seniority they have working in the MINOR leagues.... .Peace...
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Posted by nanaimo73 on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 1:49 AM
MWH-
Did you get to run any of your Mountain Diesel Transportation F units on the WYCO ?
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:38 AM
The railroad tracks that went at the Chicago Racetrack, wasn't the line formerly used by Burlington Northern or ATSF?

About how many times per day (on average) would you see a train at the Chicago Racetrack?


BNSF's Chicago Racetrak must be high on the list. The hourly commuters add up, + 3 Amtrak + freight.

This may be a question that's impossible to answer. If you set up say at
La Grange Road & counted how many trains operate in each direction on a weekday?
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:44 AM
I really appreciate your input about where a good place to go if you wanna see alot of trains go by, plus I do hear that the BNSF (Santa Fe) line from LA to Chicago is quite a heavily travelled railroad, I would love to visit anywhere from Barstow to the Needles Sub to watch the trains go by, I've seen photos of those areas and they sure have a ton of trains go by there, I also understand that it can be really hot going in those areas from late spring to the early fall season.


quote]Originally posted by teamdon

The poor guy only wanted to know where a LOT of long freights trains run ...In typical "Foamer Fashion",Mr. Hemphill convoluted things way beyond what was required...UPRR6737, Don't apologise to these guys...Good Grief...I am a conductor on the BNSF Transcon out of Needles,California,running both to Barstow,Cal. to the west and to Winslow,Ariz. to the east...We get about 100 trains a day through here,most above 7,000 feet long,many going west with helpers or distrubuted power on the rear,or BOTH ...GRAIN trains usually have 4 head -end units, 3 mid train units & 2 or 3 on the rear...9 to 10 DASH-9,s totally ..
This is BIG TIME railroading on the Needles Sub.
Many stack trains (intermodal) have helpers,some trains exceed 8,000 feet long....
By the way,we go 70MPH with these monsters across the desert....IT MAKES EASTERN RAILROADING LOOK LAME, HUH....Hope this helps...
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:46 AM
I hear alot of great things about Rochelle's railroad park, what kind of trains do they have there? I do know that the UP line was formerly used by CNW and the BNSF was formerly used by BN, I once thought that the BNSF line in Rochelle was formerly used by ATSF.

QUOTE: Originally posted by blhanel

Rochelle's Railroad Park has GOTTA be in the Top Ten.
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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 5:37 AM
A typical location on one of the four-track main lines of the New York City subway system sees about 800 trains a day counting all thracks Both directions). Harrison, east of Newwark on the NEC, sees about 400 trains a day, counting PATH, NJT, and Amtrak.
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Posted by oltmannd on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 9:11 AM
Top 5 for number of road trains operated on NS are

Chicago to Cleveland
Conway to Harrisburg
Altanta to Chattanooga
Danville KY to Oakdale
Decatur IL to Peru

-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/

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Posted by spbed on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 10:40 AM
Yes I tried pacing one between Needles & Barstow going WB & I was doing 80MPH & he was pulling away until he hit a caution lite & finally slowed so I finally was able to catch & pass him. I caught him again going thru Daggett going at a decent pace as well. Since you are a conductor more/less on average how fast are the EBers going on the most south track @ Daggett? Also more/less how fast on average are the WBers going when they have the green signals also @ Daggett?



Originally posted by teamdon
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Posted by chiripero on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:00 AM
I agree with teamdon about the Needles Subdivision on the Mojave Desert in California. I live in Helendale, CA just west of Barstow and we get about 122 trains a day (BNSF & UP combined) on a double track main through here on the way to Cajon Pass. I have watched many trains here, Cajon Pass, Tehachapi Pass ( just over an hour away) and also out on the desert east of Barstow all the way to Needles. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else for train watching all year around !
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Posted by spbed on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:08 AM
Yessiree I come from SE Florida to your area EVERY year to trainwatch. I will be there next week again. So I agree with your comments entirely. I keep telling my other half I am going to buy one of the houses right across the street from the juncture point of the UPRR & BNSF @ Daggett. [:o)][:p][:)]

Originally posted by chiripero
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Posted by Tharmeni on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:20 AM
The NS line through Lafayette Indiana has got to be in the top 5.
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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:48 AM
Out west I would say:

Colton,Ca (UP BNSF xing)...........All traffic to/from the east of LA/San Diego passes here except some UP trains for the LA&SL route.(100+ per day)

Dagget,Ca.................All BNSF ex SF transcon traffic into California, Amtrak's Southwest Chief , And all LA&SL traffic passes by on the tracks between Dagget and Barstow,Ca. (75+ per day)

Stockton tower (tower is gone)...........All UP north-south traffic that does not take the coast line, All BNSFnorth-south traffic and all BNSF bay area traffic, and the Amtrak San Joaquin trains pass through here. Plus transfers between yards. (50+ per day)

Sandpoint,Id.............AKA The Funnel. All BNSF Pacific Northwest traffic to/from the east passes through here along with the Empire Builder. And UPs Spokane International line runs through here too with all there CP interchange traffic to/from Kingsgate/Eastport. (50+ per day)

Vancouver jct.,Wa.............All BNSF traffic through the Columbia river george, All BNSF traffic to/from Oregon, all UP traffic to the north (Seattle/Tacoma), the Amtrak Cascade corridor trains,Empire Builder (Portland sect.) and Coast Starlight all pass through here. (60+per day)
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Posted by oltmannd on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:55 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Tharmeni

The NS line through Lafayette Indiana has got to be in the top 5.


Yup. It's between Decatur and Peru.

It's not nearly as heavy as the NS Pittsburgh and Chicago Lines, though, but, then, those are double track.

-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/

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Posted by spbed on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 12:30 PM
Thanks for that info about Vancouver WA as I will be there beginning of Oct. [:o)][:p][:)]


Originally posted by chad thomas
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:16 PM
that is a lot of trains 800. i thought running 100 freights a day out here was a lot
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:29 PM
What does LA&SL stand for? I don't think that I've ever heard of that railroad company before, Colton sounds like a great area to watch the trains go by, I would like to visit the San Bernardino area and watch the trains go by, is Daggett east of Barstow?

I do hear that Stockton is a really good place to go railfanning and parts of Central California, which line do you recommend to go railfanning between the UP or the BNSF lines?

QUOTE: Originally posted by chad thomas

Out west I would say:

Colton,Ca (UP BNSF xing)...........All traffic to/from the east of LA/San Diego passes here except some UP trains for the LA&SL route.(100+ per day)

Dagget,Ca.................All BNSF ex SF transcon traffic into California, Amtrak's Southwest Chief , And all LA&SL traffic passes by on the tracks between Dagget and Barstow,Ca. (75+ per day)

Stockton tower (tower is gone)...........All UP north-south traffic that does not take the coast line, All BNSFnorth-south traffic and all BNSF bay area traffic, and the Amtrak San Joaquin trains pass through here. Plus transfers between yards. (50+ per day)

Sandpoint,Id.............AKA The Funnel. All BNSF Pacific Northwest traffic to/from the east passes through here along with the Empire Builder. And UPs Spokane International line runs through here too with all there CP interchange traffic to/from Kingsgate/Eastport. (50+ per day)

Vancouver jct.,Wa.............All BNSF traffic through the Columbia river george, All BNSF traffic to/from Oregon, all UP traffic to the north (Seattle/Tacoma), the Amtrak Cascade corridor trains,Empire Builder (Portland sect.) and Coast Starlight all pass through here. (60+per day)

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:34 PM
You're a very lucky man getting to watch the trains going through your town well over a 100 trains a day, the town I'm from (I live in SE Washington state) we only get about 5-7 trains a week and they're the small freights, do you see more BNSF trains or the UP trains?

In Pasco, WA (about 45 miles from where I live) you see about 50-60 trains in a 24 hour period on the BNSF (formerly BN) line from the Vancouver-Spokane line.

QUOTE: Originally posted by chiripero

I agree with teamdon about the Needles Subdivision on the Mojave Desert in California. I live in Helendale, CA just west of Barstow and we get about 122 trains a day (BNSF & UP combined) on a double track main through here on the way to Cajon Pass. I have watched many trains here, Cajon Pass, Tehachapi Pass ( just over an hour away) and also out on the desert east of Barstow all the way to Needles. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else for train watching all year around !
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:43 PM
Re: Chad's mention of Sandpoint above. Don't forget MRL, and tiny little POVA. This is not a single-route scenario, however. UP crosses BNSF on a diamond at one spot; BNSF and MRL converge at another spot. The most congested part of the Funnel is Napa Street interlocking just east of downtown Spokane. Has all of the Funnel's BNSF and MRL run-through trains, plus UP trains on/off the SI enter BNSF track here and UP trains in/out of the UP Yard (which aren't seen at Sandpoint) enter BNSF track here. In addition, various daily moves on/off the Kettle Falls line, and BNSF or UP interchange moves to/from adjacent Erie Street Yard.
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Posted by chad thomas on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 3:05 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by UnionPacificRR6737

What does LA&SL stand for? I don't think that I've ever heard of that railroad company before, Colton sounds like a great area to watch the trains go by, I would like to visit the San Bernardino area and watch the trains go by, is Daggett east of Barstow?

I do hear that Stockton is a really good place to go railfanning and parts of Central California, which line do you recommend to go railfanning between the UP or the BNSF lines?



LA&SL was the Los Angeles & Salt Lake [city]. That was the UP subsidiary that built between San Pedro and Salt Lake City (I think it was originaly the San Pedro, Los Angles & Salt Lake SPLA&SL). Before the merger with SP this was UPs sole route into southern California.

Yes, Dagget is east of Barstow. It's a couple miles from the outskirts of Barstow. And it is an excellent place to break out your lounge chair and cooler and watch the action pass by, some of it at 70mph. But this is the wrong time to be there because it gets HOT out there.

Stockton and Colton are busy crossings and great places to see tons of action but are not in the greatest neighborhoods. I prefer to do my fanning out of town where I can relax and enjoy myself.

As for BNSF vs UP I am an SP fan so I might favor UP by default but I like em both. Fortunatly there are many places in California where they both run.
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Posted by tregurtha on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 3:16 PM
I have to agree with the comment about the CSX Willard Sub between Deshler and Fostoria, Ohio. I've not been to Deshler, but I've spent some time at the CSX/NS diamond in Fostoria. It can be a regular parade most days with upwards of 100 trains a day possible. The Amtrak station is a great place to plop a chair and watch the action!

Ross R.

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