Eastern Railroad Discussion > Longest Train I've Ever Seen In Person - L384-16

Here's a little story I have to tell. Today most of the day I railfanned Mentor Ohio. Well out of the 17 trains I saw from 10AM to after 7PM, one train got my attention, also another. But the train that got my attention was today's CSX Eastbound Freight L384-16. I was at Deekers ST's Restaurant Parking Lot when I saw him. But when I heard the defect detector for Eastlake, was was entering MP 161 into 160 which is about the area I'm at and finally I hear the Eastlake Detector when he was 3 quarters of a mile away. So I knew he was long, but then the Axle Count was 704!!!!!   I was like WOW. Well he was in Notch 6 or 8 and I could hear him coming. He was PULLING. Only going about 25MPH. So I filmed and took photos of him. The video I'll defentely have up tomorrow morning. But after I was done filming, which the train took 5 to 8 minutes to pass, I thought to myself, I have to rewatch this video. Well I started counting. I got up to 100 and then thought he's large but I've more. Then 125, well this is getting interesting. 150, then it's like how many more. 160, oh boy. 170, he long. 180, WOW!!!  Anyway, about 5 minutes after his tail end cleared came Westobund Freight Q393 with also 2 units. At that time I was filming him, I went back and thought about L384-16 and the cars of 180. I thought, YES, that's the longest train I've ever seen in Mentor. Anyway, as Q393 kept coming, he was also getting long. So after Q393 cleared I rewatch the recording and Q393 was 168 cars and also 25MPH. Just 12 cars shy of L384. What is the chances of 2 freights that long so close together. I just imagine at Hopkins Road what the motorists were thinking waiting 15 to 20 minutes on 2 long freights. With 180 + 168 cars = 348 and probably L384 just cleared Hopkins to let a few motorists through, then Q393 with 168 comes through, they were probably furious. Anyway, here's the 2 photos of the lead units. Top is L384-16 and bottom is Q393. Like I said, the video of both trains I'll have up tomorrow so you can see how long they were.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/16 18:47 by cornerfieldhobby.

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with 2 crews instead of 3 or 4 ... Cha Ching into the pockets of the stockholders ... God forbid they pull a knuckle ...

Acctaully looking this evening, I made mistake, 180 cars is the longest freight I've seen in person. 178 came in 2nd I seen in Hudson last year. So it's official, the L384-16 is the longest freight I've seen in person. Yes, I know people have seen longer, but for me this was the longest.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/16 18:47 by cornerfieldhobby.

Out_Of_Service Wrote:
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> with 2 crews instead of 3 or 4 ... Cha Ching into
> the pockets of the stockholders ... God forbid
> they pull a knuckle ...

Yes, my thought exactly. 180 cars, that puts a lot of strain on the knuckles. That's also the way they could come off on a curve if it's sharp just like Fostoria.

My train had 286 cars a couple nights ago, 38000 tons 18000 feet and 1192 axles

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4141885

RCPE_Hogger Wrote:
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> My train had 286 cars a couple nights ago, 38000
> tons 18000 feet and 1192 axles
>
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4
> 141885

Wow, now that's long. I thought 180 was long. But like I said, for me 180 is the longest I've seen. 286, is very long though. Anything go wrong with the couplers?

I added video to the top original post of L384 & video below is of Q393.
 

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Please let me know if your video shows the WHOLE train end to end. If it does I will watch it. Neither car count or axle count  has a lot to do with actual train length. It is a combination of both. Example, this morning I heard a 13,000ft L128 was coming up the Philly Sub. Got to watch it. L128 here is all mty well cars being re-positioned for reasons I do not know. It only had 65 cars, but 221 wells, but only 584 axles. I've done surveys on intermodal car lengths, and this train incl the two units was just over 13,000ft. We have had trains here pushing and maybe over 1000axles, 245 freight cars, and close to three miles long. You really have to pay attention to all three details; car count, axle count, and type of cars in the train which only a few know how to do. It is a discipline, which few want to exercise because it is outside the realm of pretty picture taking.  

RCPE_Hogger Wrote:
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> My train had 286 cars a couple nights ago, 38000
> tons 18000 feet and 1192 axles
>
> 
I feel sorry for the poor conductor that has to walk that when the trainline brakes, 37 cars from the rear.  

CSX has been running a Q561 for about two months now.  It starts in Cleveland (I think), does some switching of cars in and out at Queensgate in Cincinnati, then down to Louisville to switch at Osborn, and then to Nashville.  It usually has about 160-200 cars with two mid-train locomotives.  Seems like every other day it gets broken down somewhere between Cincinnati and Louisville.  The first time I saw it, it had 186 cars.  Trains coming into Louisville usually stop at Lyndon Ln on the east side of town until they can get lined up though that part of town.  Once they pass Lyndon they can't stop without blocking several city streets. There hasn't been a problem over the years with that stop because it's about 9000 feet to the previous crossing.  Along comes Q561 and it's a new game.  At about 12000 to 15000 feet, it hangs over two fairly busy roads.  They have busted some knuckles on the train and had the LCL sub blocked for hours.  It may sound good, one crew, two trains but when you tie up the road and have to re-crew on a 100 mile run, you sort of have to wonder if it's making money or costing more.

John

JLinDE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Please let me know if your video shows the WHOLE
> train end to end. If it does I will watch it.
> Neither car count or axle count  has a lot to do
> with actual train length. It is a combination of
> both. Example, this morning I heard a 13,000ft
> L128 was coming up the Philly Sub. Got to watch
> it. L128 here is all mty well cars being
> re-positioned for reasons I do not know. It only
> had 65 cars, but 221 wells, but only 584 axles.
> I've done surveys on intermodal car lengths, and
> this train incl the two units was just over
> 13,000ft. We have had trains here pushing and
> maybe over 1000axles, 245 freight cars, and close
> to three miles long. You really have to pay
> attention to all three details; car count, axle
> count, and type of cars in the train which only a
> few know how to do. It is a discipline, which few
> want to exercise because it is outside the realm
> of pretty picture taking.  

John, that Q561 defentely is a new train for me. I have been on the CSX main west of Cleveland say in Berea for a long time, so that's why it's new. Question, do the helpers go through Berea and continue West and south to Cincinnati? As to what JLinDE said, yes all my train videos I record show the whole train. I do that so you can see every car, because like you see there were original Conrail hoppers with NYC markings on L384 and on Q393 were Ex. CNW Hoppers.

I guess "long" and "number of cars" is all relative.  Back in 1962, when I was on the delivery of the new GP30s to N&W, I was working out of Portsmouth, Ohio. Between Williamson, WVa. and Portsmouth, the NORMAL loaded coal trains, westbound, were 240 cars and about 24,000 tons. The empty hoppers were handled back to Williamson, eastbound, in 300 car trains. Day after day, year after year. Seemed to work OK for the N&W.

It is my railroad experience that it takes about six months for a new, radical, operational change to become more normal. When CSX started handling two road trains here at Wilsmere yard, including block swapping and more switching, it was a mess for a while. But CSX supported it with more yard crews (often a remote) utility men and a dedicated Honda SUV for them to use. Now most day it works well and has become 'routine'. Trains are not huge every day, just when cars get bunched over weekends and CSX has adjusted some train schedules to accomodate. It is my understanding that Cincy - Louvle is supposed to be directional running. IMHO the big trains should use the LIRC/Seymour CSX ex B&O route which is straighter maybe fewer grades. Siding capacity is an issue on both routes.

JLinDE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is my understanding that Cincy -
> Louvle is supposed to be directional running. IMHO
> the big trains should use the LIRC/Seymour CSX ex
> B&O route which is straighter maybe fewer grades.
> Siding capacity is an issue on both routes.

This is indeed already directional running.  The only regularly running northbound on the LCL is Q134 (easier access to the intermodal ramp at Queensgate).  All other road trains are southbound.  All northbounds run either the LIRC or Indiana Sub.  There's no southbound CSX trains on either of those two lines.

Andrew

Q561 originates from Toledo (Stanley yard). Toledo Stanley is also the termination point for Q324 (Chicago - Toledo), which is another train that CSX likes to run long, but has a max limit of 1022 axles due to HBD/DED limitations.

wa4umr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RCPE_Hogger Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > My train had 286 cars a couple nights ago,
> 38000
> > tons 18000 feet and 1192 axles
> >
> > 
> I feel sorry for the poor conductor that has to
> walk that when the trainline brakes, 37 cars from
> the rear.  
>
> CSX has been running a Q561 for about two months
> now.  It starts in Cleveland (I think), does some
> switching of cars in and out at Queensgate in
> Cincinnati, then down to Louisville to switch at
> Osborn, and then to Nashville.  It usually has
> about 160-200 cars with two mid-train locomotives.
>  Seems like every other day it gets broken down
> somewhere between Cincinnati and Louisville.  The
> first time I saw it, it had 186 cars.  Trains
> coming into Louisville usually stop at Lyndon Ln
> on the east side of town until they can get lined
> up though that part of town.  Once they pass
> Lyndon they can't stop without blocking several
> city streets. There hasn't been a problem over the
> years with that stop because it's about 9000 feet
> to the previous crossing.  Along comes Q561 and
> it's a new game.  At about 12000 to 15000 feet,
> it hangs over two fairly busy roads.  They have
> busted some knuckles on the train and had the LCL
> sub blocked for hours.  It may sound good, one
> crew, two trains but when you tie up the road and
> have to re-crew on a 100 mile run, you sort of
> have to wonder if it's making money or costing
> more.
>
> John

Thanks for showing the whole train. I watched both yesterday. I have a way of figuring actual tran length by counting centerbeam flats and anything longer as two cars and cars about the size of the big covered hoppers and LPG tank cars, longer gons, the 68 foot bulkhead flats, ertc as one and a half cars. That will give me an equivalent car length, multiply that by 47 feet and it comes close to train footage. If their are a lot of tank cars, which are so hard to tell if sixty foot, it will under estimate actual footage. But these long trains have 100-300 feet of slack. I got the L384 at 214 c/l and Q393 at 197 c/l. Impressed with Q393 with 32 reefers.