Conrails short lived 300 car monster coal train in SW Pennsylvania.
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- In 1992, Conrail experimented with a 300 car coal train on the Mon line, and down on the Monongahela Railway to the SW Pennsylvania coal fields. They had used a AT&SF unit leading two CR units, and mid-train, one AT&SF and two more CR units. The Santa Fe units where used as radio control units as the mid-train helpers where un-manned. Two more Conrail units where added as helpers on the rear as far as Brownsville, and then taken off. I opted not to film the entire hopper consist, as it took so long to pass. The film clip was taken in California, Pa. in February of 1992. This experiment didn't last to long, as one little problem, and this monster train blocked crossing in several towns in the Monongahela valley. Thanks for watching, Jackmp294.5
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My grandfather was from Italy and settled in Fairmont, West Virginia in 1910. He and my grandma raised 10 kids and 2 grand children and he worked over 45 years on the Monongahela Railroad. He passed in 1960 at age 75 who I never saw being born the same year and my grandma in 1968 at age 78. They were both hard working people and this video reminds of what they went through in life. Fairmont home of the original Pepperoni Rolls - Country Club Bakery! The Monongahela Railroad was a spur line that ran from Fairmont, WV to Pittsburgh. My brother has an official Monongahela Railroad heavy duty train weight shovel too which my dad had.Thank you for sharing your video.
So he worked a lot on the Monongahela over the east side of Fairmont. I would love to see more photos of all that once was on east side
@@jackmomma7481 Yes, I would like to see that too. My grandfather and grandmother lived on Norval St. off of Ogden Ave and they never drove. He had to walk to and from work and that is in hilly beautiful country too. Fairmont also had the fastest street car. Take care!
I sure miss all the old Class I's.
Nice. Those SF-30C's were one of the many quality rebuilds to come out of Santa Fe's Cleburne, TX shops.
Nice historic video. Note how the coal gons all matched back then and there was no graffiti on any of them either.
Hoppers
haha, kinda funny how a ATSF unit is leading in California, PA :P Nice vid
This wasn’t California-
@@EerierFish16 He's referring to the town in Pennsylvania that happens to have the same name as the state.
@@TheNWClassA1218 Oh?
That was so much power!!! Damn!!!
funny to see the ATSF and Conrail units together - looks incongruous. But seriously, that is one decent sized train. Nice.
Should see some of the coal trains they are moving out of Hinton WV, 220 car bethgon monsters, need mid point DPUs to get them out of the river valley
I was on the Mon-Greene line a few months ago, and almost all the NS trains are now 200 cars.
Awesome, I added it to my "Great Trains" playlist
This road was often used to "test" motive power being rebuilt or upgraded. Sometimes new out of Erie as well.
those SF30C's look sharp along the big blue locomotives....how amazing was filming trains before ditch lights and wide cabs in front of every train....oh well,times change I guess
Great video thanks for sharing, that consist is quiet a catch with the SF30C leading the train.
Mike at Wide World of Trains would be jumping for joy if this train passed by with a double set of DPU’s alright. lol
I don't know why the Santa Fe blue and yellow looks so good and CSX blue and yellow looks ho-hum? Maybe its the silver trucks on the Santa Fe units that makes them look sharper. Just a thought!
Richard Gerlach I think its the "bonnet" design on it that does it. While CSX just has yellow on the front of the nose
Thanks for sharing. The can opener chose to put a couple of well maintained, "foreign" units on the head end and helpers.
AT&SF real genuine quality, not some hollow slogan.
Could you imagine the mess they would have on their hands if the dynamics would give out, like the SP train on Cajon Pass back in 1989! All that weight, and only those eight or nine locomotives to hold it back on a grade. Mike in Fresno, Ca.
57 more cars, than the monster BNSF coal train I got yesterday. The train I got had 243 cars.
Conrail use to run through St Thomas Ontario I remember the big blue
UP around here decided lately to combine coal train at its about 300 cars a train
@1jackdk Indeed. Great video. Love the old Santa Fe power.
Nice video! Love the ATSF locomotives!
man that is one HELL OF A TRAIN THE LONGEST I CPOUNTED WAS 159 cars
Sounds like the old C&NW; up hill slow, down hill fast; tonage 1st, safety last !!
I was a brakeman, on the Wisconsin Division, B/4 till unc sam called me for
v-nam. Many slow drags up the small hills!!!!!!
That one cool video .
Not to mention that puts a lot of tension on the drawbar strength, thats enough to snap some couplers!
Not really, that is why they have mid-train helpers to reduce the force.
Dang, they are legit charging up the hill!
Wow. It took three days for it just to pass
Good old DPU's and some great power!
I guess up is doing this now with stack trains out west Adding mid and rear helpers and just combining container trains
J
What a monster.
I would have'd love to catch that train!! Only if I had a time machine!!
@CarNutandTrainNut2 They carry the remote control radio and reciever, to opperate the un-manned mid train helpers.
Excellent video!!!
And now thanks to the Wall Street hedge funds running things with PSR, these monster trains are now the norm!
That's if they don't shut down the country with a strike
No kidding! I once saw a 390 car train. (1 engine, 200 cars, 2 DPUs, another 190 cars) his WB counterpart had a total of 291 cars with 2 on the head end and 1 DPU. Unsurprisingly such stunts were pulled by CR's less than stellar successor Norfolk Southern. Gotta love piss schedule railroading. The monsters are more common as manifests though rather than unit trains like this one or even intermodals (despite being one of the lighter trains you see these days)
Wouldn't be surprised if PSR was outlawed and illegalized altogether
some size of train . this train ran 4 months after i was born showing my age. I would like to see another train of this size. I think it will be the CN doubling the 152 car trains or maybe the CP
Nice catch Jack
Pretty easy to notice one thing: Every unit here is a GE. Oddly, Conrail never purchased anything newer than these Dash 8's from GE. Successors CSX, NS, and WNYP are nearly all GE (Alco/MLW for WNYP). You need that big 4-cycle torque for heavy-haul.
wouldent want to be at a crossing when it gos by lol !
Should have used the 80macs ;)
If only the sd80 was built in 1992..........
YEAH!!!! PUSH IT!!!!!
bleeder valves on the air brake system, it bleeds the water out.
Wow! What a long train. Liked the view on the curve. Thumbs up! :)
@kelbym07 LOL. Not to mention that RR crossing are are a very big contributor to air hose problems.
At the Kentucky railroad musem there's a Santa Fe engine still in use
There are a few up in New York State in daily use a short line. They have two or three B30-7's
loved it
Not to mention the late Jimmy Stewarts home town, Indiana.
very cool!
You'd think that there wouldn't be any more coal left in the ground after seeing all those coal cars.
I know it Rob. They have been taking 6-8 trains of coal out of the area on this line since steam days. My son runs down this section of railroad, and although, there are some mines that have shut down, several big mines are still pounding out 6-8 trains of coal everyday. Thanks for watching.
@@1jackdk Enlow's new portal is expected to run another 20 years so it's not stopping anytime soon. We've got stupid amounts of coal left, literally centuries worth.
At this speed it would take more than 10 minutes to pass a crossing. That doesn't sound like much, but time the next train you get caught behind.
I always kinda wondered how long a train would have to be before knuckles started breaking. I'm sure that trains like the one in this video sounded like a good idea at the time but I bet its simply more efficient and quicker to break this up into 3 100 car trains that take less time to assemble and can run faster.
only 1 big boy can handle a train of 5.4 miles long by himself versus 10 diesels pulling the same length
@@michaelwood9922 Wow 😀😀
@@michaelwood9922 Eh, no...
@@michaelwood9922 No it couldn't. And remember that, when you hear about a Big Boy pulling 100 cars on its own, those would have been nearly all 40ft cars, each of which is about 30% lighter than today's typically ~60ft cars.
@@michaelwood9922 LOL. Not that old fake tale again. 🤣
The ATSF 9530 and 9521 now is Ferrosur hehe
CSX tried this, and It almost worked!
Penn-Central ran one like that for a while for Wisconsin power.
Do you remember about how long it took a monster train to pass?
I'd hate to be the conductor who has to walk that thing when the air dumps.
And I see 54 car coal trains. Nice train tho
WOW, that's old! Back when Dash 9's were the newest thing, and there were Dash 7-and-8's all over the place, like the on this train. By the way, what were those Conrail units at the front of the train? They weren't AC4400's, because those weren't built until 1993. Probably wasn't a Dash 9, because (as far as I know) they don't have number boards on the nose. I know that the AC4400 has an option to have number boards on the nose or the top of the cab, because BNSF's AC4400's have number boards on the top of the cab, not on the nose.
Both trailing units and the trailing unit of the rear helper set are wide-nose Dash 8's. First of them (CR 6109) is now in service with Norfolk Southern (as NS 8349). CR 6067 and (probably) CR 6095 were both inherited by CSX (renumbered as 7307 and 7319) but sold to GECX leasing company recently. You can easily distinguish them from Dash 9's, because they are sitting on older type of trucks. Dash 9 series uses more modern HiAd trucks. I also think that Dash 9's don't have nose-mounted number boards.
Those are dash 8s
unreal
Somebody didn't think this one all the way through eh? Of course it's going to block a lot of crossings.
Wonder how many knuckles the conductors on these monsters had to change? The QNS&L up here in Canada are running 240 car ore trains and that is the max they could run efficiently. Any more and the were breaking knuckles like crazy!
I wonder how they got that thing assembled in the switch yard...
@FastFlyingVirginian XD yeah don't forget Blue Ball, Indiana, Mars, Moon, Newfoundland, Ohioville, Railroad, Egypt, Fairchance, Bird-in-Hand, Paradise, and Intercourse. Oh and my town Jersey Shore.
Conrail was testing the Santa Fe units, as they had the DPU setup so that the mid train units where remotely run from the lead units, avoiding a crew used in the second set...
trains were so much cooler before ditch lights...
@1jackdk dear jack have seen the video of the 682 iron ore train in austrailia? it took 8 minutes with a still camera going 70 mph from end to end
how fast would those 300 car trains get going?
ATSFMike - you're right about that!
What was the total run-by time for all 300 cars? Timing cars it looked like it would be something like 6 mins?
If it was going 20mph it would block each crossing about 9-1/2 minutes.
You could take a nap. LOL
Wait, 1992? The MGA didn't fold into Conrail until 1993. I realize that in California this would be the old PRR/PC line, but did these trains run all the way down to the mines or did they depart out of West Brownsville junction?
+thenekom Yah thenekom. They did run all the way to the mine, loaded on the balloon track, and went back west. Wasn't very successful. Broken knuckles was the norm for this train, and since it was close to 3 miles long, it would tie up all the towns in the Mon valley. LOL
+jackmp294.5™ I can imagine! My sister lives in West Brownsville, it's bad enough as it is and they sure don't go through in a hurry. Fun to watch though.
At the beginning and the end where was that clicking sound coming from its like it hit a phone
Ct Teal CR units air spitters... condensation from air tanks being released
300 car (wagons) suppose each weight 30 tons the train weights 9000 tons and 1000 tons for the locos ,10000 tons,,, conclussion each loco drives 1000 tons acceptable if gradients are no present.
Thats pretty good figuring nomon. But, each car (wagon) was 100 tons when loaded, and each loco weighs an average of 190 tons. Thanks for watching.
100 tons each wagon???wow,, more than twice i calculated,,i supposed the wagons empty..the train then weight approx 31900 tons,,,very heavy!!!!
Yes, the wagons are empty here, but are headed to the coal mines, and will return loaded. The biggest problem was that the train was so long, when it would go into emergency, it would block railroad crossing in all the towns it passes through.
yes,,of course,t dont apppreciate the long of each wagon,, but suppose each wagon have 15 meters(45 feet) x300=4,5 kilometers,,, 200 meters more for the locomotives= approx 4.7 kilometers...yes,,the train may block the street car passages.A Great problem if the train go to an emergency. thanks for your quickly answer Daniel Argentine ex mechanic. In mu country a train with this lenght block at least 15 passages.
This was a loaded coal train?CSX runs 230 car empty trains between Richmond and Clifton Forge with either 2 ACs or 3-4 DCs. All GE products
Jack's earlier replies indicate that this was an empty.
SOB conrail had C40-9W's ..... never knew
Austin Taylor these are C40-8 units. The Dash 9 and AC44'S were introduced later in 1993, neither of which were purchased by Conrail.
@FastFlyingVirginian Not to mention Europe and Brittian now. Witht he European exports going out and the Brittish Imports coming in.
Damn
Jackmp294.5, i just had to ask about your profile pic. Is that a late 70's White road commander?? Sure looks like one! Or is it a early-mid 80's Western star. Im going by the cab and paint scheme. Thats deff a White paint scheme! Just wanderin'!! Wait, must be a earlier White judging by the tube type rubber on the steers!! ANYWAY...........NEAT OL TRUCK!!
Yes. Its a White Road Commander. I picked it up brand new at the dealership in Saddle Brook NJ in the fall of 1979. It is a 1978 model that was leftover. I put 300K on it then got into a 1981 Freightliner. The Commander was a 350 Cum-apart, with a 13 speed Roadranger. No air ride. Ran 48 states back when they had the 55mph mandate nation wide. That was tuff!
jackmp294.5™
Thanks for the comeback driver!! I love old trucks. An exspensive hobby to restore a big truck. I ve been collecting engines for 12 yrs now. My dad use to run westcoast.Hes home everynite now driving locally for Smith dairy. He trucked hard back in the 70's and 80's. He drove for Gullet trucking out of Union city In. hauling produce. We all live near Richmond In. It was very nice to meet you sir. We have a lot in common. I love trains aswell!! im working on a ho scale Chessie systems layout for the last 3yrs. Loved the old Chessies because they rolled through my home town as a kid. Im 37. Thank you, Jon.
jackmp294.5™ I drove a 79 Road Commode to lol,,,,, had a shiny 290 Cummin apart and a 9 speed, twin screw , no front brakes, oh , fun, and i used to bob tail a lot, yikesssss !!! I did enjoy the view though ....
Lenny Miller My Commode had a 350 Cumm-a-part and a 13 speed RR . Wasn't a bad truck, but the electrical problems where a night-mare. Its great haulin butt down the boulevard in the pitch black at 0300 in the am, and every light on your truck goes out. Not even flashers! But I learned, if I push my seat back all the way, and kicked that electrical box on the left side kick panel with my pointy toe cowboy boots, the lights, sometime come back on. Lenny, Don't know if your on FB or not. But the FB group "THE GOLDEN YEARS OF TRUCKING! 50's,60's70's, and 80" Is a neat group with over 15000 members. Great pictures of old trucks. I have been posting all kinds of pictures, and stories to go along with my photos. Check it out. OH! BTW. The view was fantastic! Better than the Freight Shaker I drove... Thanks for watching, Jack...
I don't know what your comment was in reference to, but let me say that cowards come in all forms, all skin tones, all nationalities, all party affiliations, all religions, and both genders. However, the upside is, so do patriots.
If you need to waste time: count the cars and read the names on the cars!
How long was this train Jack
What was the noise coming from that 840cw at the end?
That’s the “spitter” type condensate drains on the air reservoirs. They do that continuously
Were those cars loaded or empty?
Empty
why they have santa fe
what was the total tonnage of the 300 car train?
In the neighborhood of 42,000 tons would be fairly close.
John Michael
Thanks for the infor
In what way?
did conrail hate emd?
666 likes on the video
@FastFlyingVirginian XD
I heard an eastern road (N&W, I think) tried 500 car loaded coal trains. I may be wrong, or maybe it was these trains that I heard about.
Really proves nothing, crew cost? Railroads talk safety that's where it ends, talk. Could care less about the safety of the general public.
Agreed Ed. Thats why it didn't last long. It caused huge problems. Thanks for watching...
And I wonder how the EMD fans are not screaming over this video
CSXm, you must stay on the meds. Use the provided spell-checker, its not put there to confuse the smart ones. Remember the 'r' comes b4 the 'y' in 'military'. "We are all proud ones". Do I hear a 'ouwa?'
ugh...why crappy coal???? whont something better than coal?