Single locomotive operations on local trains

[Loco722]

Hello there,


This is for information, in the USA is it common to see just 1 locomotive powering a train instead of a lash up of 2 or 3 when moving a train over flat terrain?

When I mean single I'm not referring to trains with one locomotive at the front and one at the back, but just one lone locomotive pulling the train from front using locomotives like GP15s, GP38s and GP39s in particular?

Just like to know if it is done using such locomotives as I've seen a very few pictures of GP15, 38 and 39s doing so.

Thanks in advance!


Loco722.

[OldTimer]

Railroads assign locomotives to trains based on the power needed to move the load.  When I was a youngster, I saw local frieghts every day that switched a warehouse and a team track in the little town where I grew up.  These "peddler" freights were most often pulled by a single 2-8-2.  While I saw lots of mu'd diesels and big articulated steam engines, they were hauling loaded coal trains east.

Railroads make their money today by hauling bulk commodoties in large quantities over long distances.  That formula dictates a lot of power, therefore multiple units working together.

If you model the transition era, I've seen figures that suggest that a 2-8-2 should have been capable of producing approximately 3000 horsepower.  That's the equivilent of two GP7's or F3's.  The calculation of steam engine horsepower is a very interesting subject, although complicated and somewhat imprecise because of all the variables present in a working steam engine.   In fact, these days drawbar horsepower is measured with a dynamometer rather than being calculated.
OldTimer

[jward]

yes, it is very common, on local freights and work trains. as an example, csx train b781 makes a turn from neville island, pa to demmler, pa and back every evening. usual power is a single gp38-2 or gp40-2 with up to 50 cars. on the return trip they run long hood forward.

gp38s and gp39s were pretty good pullers for their size, the gp15-1s were rather poor, being a light weight locomotive. an mp15, sw1500 or gp7 has the same horsepower, and all will easily outpull an gp15-1.

single unit 6 axle diesels are more rare, being mostly assigned to mainline trains. while i occasionally see a train of empty cars with a single dash 9, most through trains seem to get 2 or 3 locomotives.

[Doneldon]

722-

As you are in North America you should be capable of forming an observation of your own; however, I'll throw in my two cents.

There were lots of single engine trains years ago when trains carried not only bulk commodities but also lcl loads, package express and odd lots. Most of that is now trucked, or even flown, so the large majority of trains are very heavy and therefore need multiple locomotives. You'll still see an occassional train with but one loco and most non-electric commuter trains operate with a single loco but that is much less common today than in years past.
                                                                                                                  -- D

[RAM]

Another thing about North American trains.  They now travel like 200 miles between crew change points.  Many trains, one unit could do the job, but it breaks down, you are dead in the water.  It may take two or three hours to get another out to pull the train on to the next change point. 

[Loco722]

Hello there,


Thanks for the information guys, appreciate Your input.

I'm trying to get my layout a little, well at least, semi-prototypical in which I like to model a railroad where the trains are small locals which consist of one locomotive hauling around 3-6 cars (well a small branch line rather). The locomotives would be the ones mentioned above.

Also I should mention, I'm not from America, I'm Sri Lankan , I have an American train set with additional equipment. I'm trying to build the layout as mentioned above so that's why I was seaking this information.

Anyway, I thank you  all once again for the information!


Loco722.   

[Doneldon]

722-

I apologize if I errorneously thought you are in North
America. I based my statement on your profile showing
you in the North American Mountain Time Zone.

                                    -- D

[Loco722]

Doneldon,


You need not apologize, it's my bad that I hadn't set my profile time correctly.

Thank YOU for mentioning that my profile time was set to North American Mountain time, I have since corrected it.


Loco722.

[NarrowMinded]

Hi, Try a web search for "Pacific Harbor line" its a short line railroad that services the Los Angeles harbor and is sounds like it would be a good fit for what you are interested in. I'm not sure if they have the loco's you listed in their roster but they do have some which at a glance look very close, so semi Proto typical would be close enough. like a SD40- instead of gp39

NM

[uncbob]

Hello there,


Thanks for the information guys, appreciate Your input.

I'm trying to get my layout a little, well at least, semi-prototypical in which I like to model a railroad where the trains are small locals which consist of one locomotive hauling around 3-6 cars (well a small branch line rather). The locomotives would be the ones mentioned above.

Also I should mention, I'm not from America, I'm Sri Lankan , I have an American train set with additional equipment. I'm trying to build the layout as mentioned above so that's why I was seaking this information.

Anyway, I thank you  all once again for the information!


Loco722.   

If you are doing steam--a 2-8-0---4-6-0 or 2-8-2 for short line 6 to 10 car train

For early diesel a single RS3--F7--FA---GP9

[jward]

i don't think the cab type units (f7, fa, shark) operated singly that much. usually single units were used on locals or light trains. locals stopped alot of places to spot cars, and rearward visibility was extremely poor. the last thing you'd want to do is back over your brakeman because you couldn't see him. that was the big reason that the gp7 and it's descendants were designed.

conrail most often used their gp15-1s singly in the pittsburgh area, where they were fixtures for many years. gp38s and gp38-2s were also used where more power was required. pittsburgh is not flat by any description, and originated alot of heavy trains when the steel industry was going full tilt, and if we had single units here, flatter places would have definitely used them

[ACY]

Most early F units actually were permanently coupled to a B unit via a draw bar. And later F units still were usually coupled to a second A unit at the very least.

[jward]

my research shows the drawbar connection existed mostly on ft units, the f2 through f9 units had couplers on all units unless a railroad insisted upon drawbars. f units and many of the alco fa's had standard mu cables and thus could be mixed and matched with most types of diesels. as an extreme example of this, southern used to use an fm train master between two f units, and rio grande used to splice an sd9 in the middle of an a-b-b-a set of  f units.

the baldwin locomotives used a different type of mu, and could only mu with other baldwins. thus, sharks usually ran only with other sharks. the largest shark owner, pennsylvania, didn't have other baldwin locomotives appropriate to mu with. the b&o did, and there arew photos of b&o sharks being used with baldwin as16s.....

mu, by the way, means multiple unit. it is the railroad term for connecting more than one locomotive so that they can all be controlled from the cab of the leading unit. diesels and electrics could mu, steam locomotives could not and required a seperate engineer and fireman for each locomotive. this is just one of many economic factors that made the diesels so attractive to railroads. the savings in labour costs were significant, espeially on railroads which needed to use more than one steam locomotive on their trains.

[phillyreading]

What I am seeing in southeastern Florida, Stuart to Miami on Florida East Coast (FEC) tracks, is single SD-40's with up to 50 coal hoppers, loaded with sand, on a single train. With more than 50 hoppers or TTAX cars usually a pair of SD-70-M's will be used.
Norfolk Southern also runs down to Miami on FEC tracks and it is interesting to see what they throw together for motive power, sometimes four GP-60's pulling almost 125 freight cars. Another time they may have three SD-70's pulling close to 120 freight cars, usually TTAX or auto carriers, or piggy back truck trailers.
On the other side of town CSX runs freight into Miami from Orlando and other places north of there. I have noticed that CSX runs both four axle and six axle diesel engines together on one train, sometimes five engines on one train, don't remeber what the engines are. CSX line comes through Okeechobee City, then east to West Palm Beach. The other player on CSX line is Amtrak, and they run at almost 85 mph through the rural parts of Florida, Okeechobee to West Palm Beach.

Lee F.

[jward]

your mention of amtrak brings up another common use of single locomotives. some shorter distance trains, such as the pennsylvanian from pittsburgh to new york, routinely run with single locomotives.