Big consists

[chad thomas]

One of the things you hardly ever see anymore is the big consists. These days of high HP units it's rare to see more than 4-5 units anymore. I miss em'
Here are a couple taken in the early 90s:

Cajon Pass from Morman Rocks


Out by Newberry Springs


Cajon Pass @ Martinez spur


Cajon Summit

[dldance]

I have seen 2 UP trains with 7 or more engines in the last few months near Ogden - but I could not tell if any of them were dead/isolated.

dd

ps - great photos

[JoeKoh]

csx moves some units around with the train.like the 3 new bnsf swoshes we saw yesterday.but also we have seen csx do light power moves with 2 or 3 engines.
stay safe
joe

[Anonymous]

Here on the CP there are RARELY anymore than 2 engines on the head end.

Most of the hotshot intermodal trains have 2 on the head end and a single DPU on the tail end.

The most I saw in recent memory was 4 units on the head end of a CP intermodal train.

[tree68]

Last time I saw a really big consist was 5 units on the head of a local, delivering 100 hoppers of coal to our local cogen. Normally they come in with just 2, so I'm not sure what the issue was. Through freights rarely rate more that three, and I've been hearing some 500+ axle counts lately on the defect detector.

[kenneo]

Chad ----You have a rare unit in two of your pictures - the one from Morman Rocks and the other in the one at Martinez Spur. Know which one it is???

[Anonymous]

Is it the SD-45 B unit??

[chad thomas]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kenneo

Chad ----You have a rare unit in two of your pictures - the one from Morman Rocks and the other in the one at Martinez Spur. Know which one it is???

Yes, but not the same unit. The one at Martinez spur is the test bed unit and has it's dynamic brake grid in the usual position. The one at Morman Rocks is one of the rest of the SD45-2B that have the dynamics moved to where the cab was.

Here's a consist with both versions next to eachother

[edbenton]

I have been seeing some very large consists recently on the transcon in Toulca IL recently. Saw 10 unit light moovement and then 2 days later saw 8 on a eastbound stacker. Weirdest one I have seen was this morning when running my fiances son to school 3 gp-9 in Bluebonnet paint and 4 SD-9 in Green on a mixed merchadise either the BNSF is powershort or someone on the powerdesk needs to be shot.[:D]

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Any consist with over 4 units probably has some that are isolated or DIT. The drawbar strains would be too great otherwise.

[chad thomas]

That may be the case these days but back when I took these they were all on line.

[samfp1943]

A while back there was a So Bound Coal Train [there all are here] in the yard and I noticed that the power was 4 SD70's. The two lead units of 4500 series and the following two looked pretty rough, on closer examination had apparently been wrecked and alon the walk way was speed tied to the hand rail posts air and electrical lines. The train was probably two thirds of a normal consist. Had never seen them run equipment like that before, but may have been transferring it to a location for repair, I think that North Little Rock is probably the only major shop area East of here. MOst of the coal trains cycled through here get any car services at the contractor facility on the northbound return in Coffeyville.

[Modelcar]

....Many years ago on the Santa Fe main through Kingman, Az...I witnessed an east bound with 9 engines on the head end and 3 more cut in back in the consist...I remember thinking it looked like all were under power with the heat blasting out on top....Time frame: Very early 70's.

[canazar]

Something struck with this huge consist talk. While, there is no doubt a more effecient and higher horsepower per loco, but could it be something else? I am pretty sure there are alot less power to go around then there was back then. Think maybe it shows us how strapped the RR's in today market with the booming car traffic?

As just a different angle[:)].

[StillGrande]

Every once and a while CSX will go through DC with what looks like a collection of whatever was available that day. I've seen 3 AC4400s with 2 SD40-2s and a pair of GPs and an SW thrown in the middle for good measure pulling mixed manefests. Yesterday afternoon there was quite a collection of paint schemes in the Anacostia yard. Everything from the newest dark blue to at least one all grey and rust.

[Anonymous]

today i saw a short stack train, with 11 autoracks on the tailend with 8 units, and they were all on line, they all were running, my friend works for the bnsf and we can go online and see all the trains on the ssytem, their consists lcoos and cars loads empties, destination, schedule, etc.
its pretty cool

[Modelcar]

....And speaking of large consists...I just returned from downtown Muncie about an hour or so ago and witnessed 2 big GE 6-axle units pulling a NS double stack {mostly}, northbound and I didn't count them but there must have been at least 250 containers {maybe more}, on that train....and it was shocking how many of them said The word "China" on them....But just the 2 big GE's were pullng a massive amount of freight in those containers....I sat there and pondered how many truck drivers it would take to equal what I saw pass in that train.....

[chad thomas]

At the other end of the spectrum....When I lived in Stevenson in the Columbia river george from time to time a train would come through with only one unit running due to units dying out on the road. It was level running and these trains usualy made it but the one unit would be screaming it's brains out pulling 120-130 car grain trains along at 25 mph or so. The dispacher would be sure to keep them moveing.

[anb740]

Hmmm.....let's see if these can be classifid as big consists.

CSXT Q549 w/7 units in six different paint schemes.
http://anb740.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=281777

CSXT X001 w/6 unit light engine set...in six different paint schemes.
http://anb740.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=188249

CSXT Q685 w/7 SD40-2s' in four paint schemes
http://anb740.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=182081

CSXT A723 with a GP40/slug set and five B36s'
http://anb740.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=188242

CSXT R605 w/9 UP & lease units
http://anb740.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=201002

The biggest pain catching something like this is trying to find a straight section of track long enough to get the entire consist in the viewfinder! The record drive for one shot is 50 miles.

[chad thomas]

Nice shots joe !!!

[Anonymous]

I've seen 7 C44-9W's with 3 SD70MAC's before.

[CSXrules4eva]

I agree with Chad, Nice shots Joe, Very Nice in fact.

I have yet to see a "big consist" at the most I've only ever seen are, three engines making up a consist. I think part of the reason why I tend to see the "short" consists are because the rights of way over here in PA aren't exactly what you would call long haul. Most of the time I'll see two GE units coupled together heading up the train and, thats about it. I do think that if I were over at Cajon Pass, Marias Pass, The Powder River Coal Basin, or the Kicking Horse Pass I would see more than three locomtives making up a consist.

[anb740]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AMTK200

I've seen 7 C44-9W's with 3 SD70MAC's before.

Geez, that's a LOT of horsepower. I would assume these were all BNSF? Sure would like to have seen that set!

anb740

[caldreamer]

I used to see the SP use 10 SD45's pulling 100-150 car trains over the sierres nevada mountains in california.. Does anyone know how many units and what kind of engiens the UP uses on the runs from Roseville to Sparks??

Ira

[Randy Stahl]

I've not seen an ATSF rule book or timetable that allowed you to exceed 24 -28 powered axles, perhaps if you say all the units were online all of them had traction motors cut out ?

[Anonymous]

Please help me understand "consist." Some of the postings refer to the number of locomotives a train has; others the total number of cars. I thought the latter was the correct usage of the term. If I am correct, and I may not be so, then it wouldn't matter how many locomotives are in a consist. The number of containers to locomotives is more relative to weight-pulling and terrain, isn't it? And could the extra units that are seen occasionally just being dragged back to the shop, being used a DP power or to another point on the line for DP use? And historically, how different are your observations?

[anb740]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mbkcs

Please help me understand "consist." Some of the postings refer to the number of locomotives a train has; others the total number of cars. I thought the latter was the correct usage of the term. If I am correct, and I may not be so, then it wouldn't matter how many locomotives are in a consist. The number of containers to locomotives is more relative to weight-pulling and terrain, isn't it? And could the extra units that are seen occasionally just being dragged back to the shop, being used a DP power or to another point on the line for DP use? And historically, how different are your observations?

In a sense, the word is correct on both counts. But, for this post, it is refering mainly to the locomotive consists. These days, most of the bigger consists like the ones posted earlier serve as engine "hops" to move large amounts of power from one terminal to another. (although a few here and there just flat out need the power!) CSX runs light engine sets w/no freight cars on a routine basis around here....it makes for some really interesting power lashups with all the foreign and lease stuff running around! For the rule, the engineer is only allowed to use the number of locomotives it takes to keep the train up to track speed. (some of these hoggers see that as somewhat of a loophole, and will crank up every unit they've got!) There are also several more rules that apply to # of locomotives on one train, speed, etc...but that's another whole topic itself!

[miniwyo]

WOW Chad, Those are some great power lashups!

dd- They come from somewhere east i have seen plenty of those come through here too.

[Sterling1]

Up here, i managed to see but not photograph a five unit WB consist manifest on CSX.

CSX:
C40-8W
AC44CW
3 Leasers:
Alstom SD40-2
Helm SD4xx
Another SD unit

That's what I saw in the middle of the night.

[dldance]

QUOTE: Originally posted by miniwyo

WOW Chad, Those are some great power lashups!

dd- They come from somewhere east i have seen plenty of those come through here too.

Since between miniwyo and me there is a significant drop in altitude - might UP be adding units just for extra dynamic braking?

dd