DPU trains (was Re: Thunder on Blue Ridge)

[NW Mailing List]

Joe and Jimmy,

Thanks for your insights.  Every time I have seen a stack train it seemed to be moving faster than other trains. I had assumed that terminal time would be small on this segment, since Bristol is the only terminal and stack trains are not switched there.  With regard to meets, I assume stack trains are generally given priority and other trains would be "put in the hole" to keep the stack trains moving. 

     Ray

-----Original Message-----
From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 11:40 PM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Re: DPU trains (was Re: Thunder on Blue Ridge)


Ray Smoot asked:

> It is about 130 miles from Jonesborough, TN to Christiansburg, VA. It took

> 202 about 7? hours to cover this space, or less than 20 mph. 


I figure it is about 150 track miles from Christiansburg to Jonesborough,
give or take. (7.5 Cburg to Walton, about 111 from Walton to the State Line
in Bristol, and ~31.5 to Jonesborough).

I actually photographed 202 at 12:05 in Christiansburg, so make it 5 and a
half hours (and less if Pete actually saw 23G, which was 30 minutes behind
202 at Christiansburg.

That makes it 27.5 mph (or maybe as high as 30).


> A truck would have covered this in about three hours.


And likely less on a purely interstate run.


> Is this typical of stack trains?


In mountainous areas with curves and grades.
They can probably complete better in flat areas.


Joe Shaw
Christiansburg, VA
http://www.krunk.org/
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