La Plata Rail Days 2023 -- VERY long westbound "S"tacker train with two mid-DPUs; around 13,500 feet

Taken during the "unofficial" La Plata (MO) Rail Days on June 25th, here is a pretty fast and VERY long westbound "S" train -- maritime stacks or containers -- rolling past at around 9:30 pm. There are two mid DPUs on this train: distributed power units, they are locomotives embedded within the consist to help push, and for pneumatic braking purposes.
With 4 leading locos, 132 well-cars, two DPUs and another 139 well-cars, this is about the longest train you're likely to see nowadays along the Marceline Subdivision at La Plata, and is approximately 13,500 feet or 2.5 miles or 4,115 meters long. (!)
Virtual Railfan -- www.virtualrailfan.com -- has three popular cameras at La Plata and over 100 across North America. I am honored to be a live-chat moderator on RUclips for their live feeds.
The RR lookout and the railpark at La Plata are courtesy of The American Passenger Rail Heritage Foundation (APRHF), at www.aprhf.org, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
La Plata Rail Days 2023 playlist: • "Unofficial" La Plata ...

[@kelkel228]

I watch this virtual rail fan LaPlata all the time

[@PaulCashman]

I try to check in most evenings when I'm not working. It's a great camera location for VRF.

[@durachrome]

I thought that was a really long train. And then I saw the DPUs!

[@PaulCashman]

Yep, that was a good one. I think they split it up to the West and let the second portion with its locos go separately...either to different yards, or to the same yard but with a shorter length so they fit easier.

[@strongman410]

Nothing like an American railroad that train was a beast

[@PaulCashman]

We tend to grow 'em pretty big over here.
I've seen a video from Germany touting the country's longest train (several times).
--It had about 40 cars (or "wagons"). :)

[@pattystathem1893]

Wow!!!

[@PaulCashman]

And that "wow" is coming from the spouse of a driver! :)

[@JZ-gr1tz]

When train get to pass by little faster is more clear

[@TicTacToe3511]

I think that the lady closest to the tracks to her life in her hands being that close to the Loco…Peter W Australia

[@j.m.youngquist419]

Most likely, this is 2 trains in one.

[@kayjoe7237]

They should have stuck an extra locomotive on the back also.

[@PaulCashman]

BNSF used to run monster 16,000-foot stack trains and those had end-DPUs. Nowadays they run two sections together and often split them near the destination, with the mid-DPUs becoming the head-end of the second section.

[@jonr3809]

LOTS of freight. They collected a big check for that one.

[@PaulCashman]

Maybe not as much as a shorter Z or Q train, though. These "S" stackers are not priority and have no specified transit times. Z trains (UPS less-than-truckload) and Q trains (guaranteed-service intermodals) have tight transit times, like 58 hours from Chicago to/from L.A., and shippers pay a lot more for that guaranteed faster service.

[@andrewcrane2786]

That was long train

[@paulc7226]

I think I saw Stobe.....

[@PaulCashman]

His ghost, maybe.

[@paulc7226]

Yes.....

[@j.m.youngquist419]

What is La Plata Raildays?

[@PaulCashman]

It's an annual gathering of railfans in La Plata, in June. The 2023 observance was "unofficial" because the property where the Amtrak/RR displays are, and where the outside events were scheduled, is up for sale.

[@j.m.youngquist419]

@@PaulCashman Thanks for the reply, Paul.