Railworks America

Thought the group might find this interesting:

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/iowa-bill-seeks-to-limit-length-of-freight-trains?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fw_rail_2_2_23&utm_term=Iowa+bill+seeks+to+limit+length+of+freight+trains&utm_id=315305&sfmc_id=50575980

Anybody know what the median length of a train on the class 1 railroads is at this time?

According to a Google search I just did, 6500 ft comes up as the average, but I've seen some come through our neck of the woods that has to be 11,000+ ft in length. This bill hasn't made our local news cycle yet, but I doubt our state legislature will pass any bill that can possibly hinder the transportation of ag commodities through our state.

Surly you are not going to argue that making trains a bit shorter hinders transportation. All super long trains do is theoretically save some labor. I question that but what do I know.. What's the cost of the crew per mile on a 8500 foot train compared to a 11,000 foot train?

buzz456 wrote:Surly you are not going to argue that making trains a bit shorter hinders transportation. All super long trains do is theoretically save some labor. I question that but what do I know.. What's the cost of the crew per mile on a 8500 foot train compared to a 11,000 foot train?

So with the same crew you can move about 30% more freight. It would be more efficient than having shorter trains and more crew members.It may be because Iowans don't like to wait for longer trains at grade crossings.

It seems to be more for emergency services. Imagine losing a child because the EMTs arrived 5 minutes too late after being blocked by a long train.

That happened near me at a level crossing, ambulance on one side heart attack on the other iirc and the guy died. Took a couple of years but they did make an overpass for the road.

There is a law in Illinois about how long you can block a crossing and I know several years back UP was getting fined almost daily. I can imagine if the trains are even longer.

AmericanSteam wrote:It may be because Iowans don't like to wait for longer trains at grade crossings.

We are an impatient sort... especially with our John Deere tractors. In all seriousness, I've got to believe this is being pushed by metro areas that have a class 1 mainline running through their downtown with lots of grade crossings. Once the trains are clear of those metro areas, the time difference for a 6,500 ft train vs a 11,000 ft train at 45 mph is a matter of a few minutes at best.

Buzz, to your point, I agree that the cost of the crew is the same for a 6,500 ft train verses an 11,000 ft train. But it comes down to the number of trains and crews it takes to haul a given amount of footage. 20,000 ft can take 2 trains at 10,000 ft per, or 3 trains at 6,500 ft. Each train needs spacing / time for meets, recrews, yarding. In this example, eliminating one train removes 1/3 of those spacing / timing issues, thus helping the overall system to move cars in a more timely manner.

look at the situation as you get close to the hub at Chicago not just Iowa.

cnwfan wrote:

AmericanSteam wrote:It may be because Iowans don't like to wait for longer trains at grade crossings.

We are an impatient sort... especially with our John Deere tractors. In all seriousness, I've got to believe this is being pushed by metro areas that have a class 1 mainline running through their downtown with lots of grade crossings. Once the trains are clear of those metro areas, the time difference for a 6,500 ft train vs a 11,000 ft train at 45 mph is a matter of a few minutes at best.

Buzz, to your point, I agree that the cost of the crew is the same for a 6,500 ft train verses an 11,000 ft train. But it comes down to the number of trains and crews it takes to haul a given amount of footage. 20,000 ft can take 2 trains at 10,000 ft per, or 3 trains at 6,500 ft. Each train needs spacing / time for meets, recrews, yarding. In this example, eliminating one train removes 1/3 of those spacing / timing issues, thus helping the overall system to move cars in a more timely manner.

That is for the big rush to lengthen sidings to accommodate 10,000 ft trains.

Howard sounds like a commercial for precision railroading which a lot of customers dislike because it actually lengthens delivery times in many cases. Being as I was in a service business my whole career and the railroads are a service business it would seem that this might just be another step backwards in customer service. God save us from the bean counters of the world.

buzz456 wrote:God save us from the bean counters of the world.

Buzz... my favorite line is from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, "Here's to the pencil pushers. May they all get lead poisoning". Back to the originally scheduled post, I doubt the Feds will allow a state like Iowa to dictate flow restrictions on interstate commerce, especially since Iowa is a roll through state for a sizeable portion of the country's east/west traffic. But, time will tell.

I hope no one takes this to be political but it certainly could become a states rights issue.

I suppose local authorities have their say in this matter. I understand length of trains is regulated by state or fed authorities, but local authorities could disallow blocking a crossing for more than x minutes for safety reasons. Then it's up to the railways to find a way to comply.