Having multiple units attached is very common here. And yes all of my photos are usually from the Montana or North Dakota area. I make occasional forays elsewhere, but not very often. Amtrak is our only cross country passenger provider. There is passenger rail service in the metro areas where the population density justifies it. Americans like our freedom to travel whenever we choose, by auto or pickup, so the rail service suffered accordingly.
I always watch your posts and videos, I know I dont opine every time, but please understand, I always appreciate every picture and video you upload. Many of them remind me of my time at the throttle, and how short it seems sometimes while I sit here. And how long it was when I was in the seat. But I still miss it, not the RR so much, but the people I worked with, I miss them every day. A very special bunch of people make our nations RR's look really good, very proud of them all.
Thanks for the kudo's. Most all of the rails i know and have known are good folk putting up with a difficult lifestyle. Many years of hard hours and hard work, though today's rails have less of the hard work as the units run more reliably than in the past. It amazes me how they are required to be able to carry a knuckle the full length of the train while in training. But in actual practice, 95% will be brought to the spot by truck or crew van! Still, it is a difficult lifestyle. I did enjoy my time riding test units over the Pass at Livingston, it was tons of fun! Merry Christmas!
I watched a documentary once called Extreme Railways with Chris Tarrant in it where for each episode, he went to a different country. I was mesmerized to see the lengths of the American and Canadian freight trains. Spanning kilometres/miles long, I was surprised that they were often given much priority over passenger trains even. Whilst freight trains sometimes are given priority over normal passenger train, for the most part, they move as a second fiddle to their passenger counterparts.
Those "Extreme Trains" shows are fun! It is an amazing thing seeing the differences in railroading world wide. Watching passenger trains in India with people just hanging all over them, ore trains in the Peruvian Andes, Norwegian fish trains above the Arctic circle, and so many others. Fascinating. The BNSF tried a quadruple coal train from Mandan, North Dakota to Superior, Wisconsin. It was limited to 25mph due to the length, and had priority over everything. They received so many complaints about blocked crossings, they haven't done it again. Quadruple would be 520+ coal gondolas plus 12 engines! The power would be 2 on point controlling all the others, 3 at 130 cars, 3 more at 260 cars,3 more at 390 cars and one more at the end! Over 5 miles long. Yup, that would be a problematic train! Merry Christmas!!
Wow... 5 miles! Cool! If running always at 25 mph, it would take about 12 minutes from head to tail to clear a level crossing. Not too bad, but I'm quite sure it didn't run at a constant 25 mph. More than likely, it would have been 20-25 minutes to clear the crossing. At least it was moving! On the bright side one can keep busy counting the cars and engines...
Sadly, I've seen folks up front near lowered gates u-turn out of line to find a "quick" route around a 2-unit 100+/- car freight traveling at 49 mph.
It certainly would be a problem. First, putting it together to begin the journey. Unless double track, every opposing train would get stuck in the hole for it to slowly pass. And when it reached the other end of the trip, breaking it up to fit into a yard, another chore. I wonder how many more crews it used, traveling at that restricted speed? Did they save any time or money? Seems doubtful....
From what I heard it cost them money and crews, not to mention the public being flustered! Just heard from a freind up in Whitefish, seems that 95% of the engineers up there laid off for Christmas day! Mostly stopped the trains from rolling.
Good for them! The stinking corporate raiders can more than afford to let the enslaved have a few minutes with their families and loved ones.
I'd work trains on Christmas Day... on condition I wear a Santa suit. I'd wave at anyone waiting at a level crossing and anyone else close enough to see me as the train goes by. It would be a hit with the kids...
The most dangerous place in India to railfan at is the Mumbai/Bombay suburban railway. It's a creaking old 100+ year old suburban system and people literally hang for their lives there. Hundreds of people lose their lives per year directly/indirectly due to the rails there [falling from trains, getting cut from them, falling in the space between platform and train and so on]. But it carries on since it's literally the lifeline of the city. Interestingly, the capital city Delhi has replaced it's conventional transit system with a subway/metro rail system. It also has it's problems but no one loses their life or limb atleast which is a great leap. Ironically, Shanghai, also the financial capital of China[Mumbai could also be called the financial capital of India] has the world's largest metro rail network coming in at 700 km+ tracks including a short Maglev tracks[ which are currently the only one in operation in the world until Japan re modernizes it's Shinkanese rail system via a different alignment]. Meanwhile, Mumbai, mired by political problems struggles to build even 100 km as of this date. Also, since someone mentioned hanging by trains, here is an image. Sorry for the low quality, it is a zoomed in ~7 year old image. These are what are called General coaches in India, meaning you take a ticket from the counter and just get into the train. No prior reservation or anything needed. They were a big thing before though are being reduced slowly now. Though the crowd inside them mostly is back breaking [literally].
Wow! If that many folk got killed by trains here, heads would roll in management and political circles. Yet a hundred years ago, lots of folk got killed by trains here in the USA also, riding or just being around them when they shouldn't be. My claustrophobia would keep me off that train, by the way!!
Ironically, the same train carries a full AC First Class coach as well and one can zip around in full luxury of a cabin/coupe [whatever one is allotted]. Though the problem I mentioned of folks getting killed regularly is specific to Bombay/Mumbai local trains. Sure, people in India die by trains elsewhere as well[the internet is full of such folks; can't wait a minute for the train to go by before crossing the tracks] but that's not the railways fault. When you clearly see the manned crossing closed and still cross, you are inviting danger. It's almost natural selection at work then.
Had a trip to Miles City on Wed for my new glasses, and saw this mess, It turns out that it burned on the 13th, no cause published yet. Being as they cleaned tank cars, it could be anything since there is a lot of different volatile chemicals involved.
