Eastern Railroad Discussion > Another coal question: Stevenson to Chattanooga

So BNSF coal goes Memphis to Chattanooga,
and Indiana coal goes Nashville to Chattanooga.
Aside from the climb out of Cowan, the ruling
grade for all these trains is the climb from the
Tennessee River to the Tennessee River east
of Stevenson? What is it, 1%? Or a bit more?

So a 145-car train gets four AC units? Or do they
try to manage with three? Does BNSF power ever
run thru? If so, are their A1A-A1As allowed?



 

I can't answer the question on the grade percentage; Maybe someone else has a track chart.  If they do, you're interested in the section from James (north end of the double track over Raccoon Mountain) to Wauhatchie.  The grade crests at Whiteside, TN.  I suspect it's closer to 2 percent in spots, but that's just gauging it by eye.

The Scherer trains on NS are almost 100 pecent BNSF run-through power.  They are almost always powered by 4 AC traction units, a mix of GE ES44ACs and the occasional CW44AC, as well EMD SD70ACes and the occasional SD70MAC.  The four units are run in 2x2 DP configuration with the remote units about 2/3rds deep in the train.  

CSX's coal trains that run via the Chattanooga Subdivsion through Cowan are typically around 110 cars, most often using 3 ES/ET44AH units (with an occasional CW44AH or SD70MAC) in 2x1 DP configuration with the remote unit about 2/3rds deep in the train.  It is very rare to see foreign power on any of the CSX coal trains.

Mike Derrick
​

Thanks for that. If the trains from BNSF have four
units, I wonder if they ever include a four-motor
unit. Maybe 22 motors is enough for them.

The other thing I was wondering: if a 110-car
three-AC train could hope to make the climb
out of Cowan without a helper as long as they
get a good run at it -- 35 mph, say. Going to
do some figuring.

I can't recall seeing one of the 4-motor ES44C4 units in recent times.  I won't say they have never run one on a Scherer train, but if I'm not mistaken, those units are not in BNSF's coal fleet.

A couple of add-ins for you-- 

I checked with a very reliable source and the steepest point on Raccoon Mountain is 1.1 percent.

For the CSX side at Cowan, I think your answer lies in the fact CSX has not been able to eliminate a manned helper at Cowan even with trains now running in DP configuration.

MD
 

DP plus a manned helper is pretty unusual

Yeah, you'd think manned helpers would still
make sense in lots of places -- one steep spot
in a long unit-train run. I assume manned helpers
still run on the 1.5% climb out of Crawford NE?
But maybe not on the 1.4% south from Denver?

timz Wrote:
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> Yeah, you'd think manned helpers would still
> make sense in lots of places -- one steep spot
> in a long unit-train run. I assume manned helpers
> still run on the 1.5% climb out of Crawford NE?
> But maybe not on the 1.4% south from Denver?

BNSF still has manned helpers on the Palmer Divide which crests at Palmer Lake. Tho not used that much, they still have them, from Denver down to Palmer Lake. They do have at a few spots along the way, where single units are positioned for what I was told were called "Protect Units". Usually one at Castle Rock, one sometimes at Larkspur, just north of the famous bridge and one at Spruce. Have seen manned helpers quite often, just not every train tho. Ben

ShortlinesUSA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can't recall seeing one of the 4-motor ES44C4
> units in recent times.  I won't say they have
> never run one on a Scherer train, but if I'm not
> mistaken, those units are not in BNSF's coal
> fleet.


You don't want C4s on coal trains and certainly not if the route has grades....

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> DP plus a manned helper is pretty unusual

currently, i think dpu'd grain trains get manned helpers up the grade from mojave towards tehachapi.

in the past i have seen (in videos) manned helpers on the bnsf from crawford to belmont, ne.

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