longest train I ever seen

I don't know if BNSF railroad was just running an experimental train, or if this is going to be the new normal. But when me and the son were going to the hay field tonight, we seen a BNSF train, that was without exaggerating, at least two miles long. It had two locomotives on the front, two in the middle, and one bringing up the rear. No doubt the other trains have to side track for it, because they don't have a side track long enough for it. Darrel

Around me here in NE, the shag trains can get overly long.  reg trains seem like 110 cars is normal!

Rail road needs to cut cost.......... Keep looking into OPERATOR LESS Locomotives.... Possible that in a LONG train with 3 LOCOS in the middle, that only ONE Operator ?? .... Lot of equipment is going to Wireless Operation.

2 Trains each 1.4+ miles long in BNSF yard in Sx City this morning. 2 engines on front 1 on rear. The south bound had A semi fuel tanker pulled alongside each engine. A box car hooked to engines both trains but all other cars are tankers, the kind they haul bio-fuels out of here with. 1 headed south and 1 headed north. Guessing south is the loaded tankers, north normally are the empty heading to NW IA. plants. They had 3 intersections blocked over 2 hours while fueling.

UP is also doing the same thing. one engineer told me the rear engine keeps everything taught and they have less slamming on the cars. the middle 1/2/3 usually help on long steep grades. sometimes we see 4-6 engines all by themselves go by, that is where they need more engines somewhere else. UP has extra engines all coupled together in the desert in AZ. can see a pic on you tube, something like 2-3 miles of just engines sitting. UP has the ability to run all their trains without anyone in the cabs, and they do so in Council Bluffs IA switching cars around. but the govt won't let them go across the country & some states without someone in the cab of the engines. most all the coal cars now are made of mostly aluminum making them lighter and they can return more cars in a single train.

I have to wait for them fairly often at the double tracked crossing going into town.  Most trains around here are about 3 miles long with at least four engines;  two at the front, at least one in the middle and another at the tail end.  Fortunately they're usually travelling at about 50 to 60 MPH so the wait isn't all that long.

Here in WI., a stopped train cannot block a crossing longer than 10 mins.  Moving?  I don't know.  I would bet there is something on the books.

I would think that there is a practical limit on how much pull a coupler will stand; or how much it takes to pull a train car apart. That may be another reason for the locomotive(s) in the middle.

Tramway brings up a good point about coupler strength.

Average coal train thru here on any given day is 150 cars, two engines or three up front, one rough center and at least one rear.  As to general freight have seen the similar sets on the N&S North of here on long freights with twins forward and a third at tail or the really heavy Stack Conex trains have two or three forward, one center and one or two rear.  Last long one of the N&S I saw pass thru New Florence MO was 124 cars and set up this style.  They are yard length and passing track length limited on the single line mains, UP is almost all Dual Trackage thru MO so they can run longer and not a issue.

Edited by DMiller - 05 Jul 2021 at 3:05pm

Four major lines with five major yards for industrial service from Pontoon Beach down to Cahokia
Trains are pulling thru or switching there most every day, not hard to be caught up in them

FREEDGUY wrote: Well I'm glad you asked a VERY similar question as I did and you didn't get "FLAMED" for it  !!