I know US freight trains are slow, but recently I did a run on both Sherman Hill and Cajon Pass, and with banking set on and going full throttle, I won't get above 20 mph going uphill. That feels slow even for US freight. Is that realistic? I feel like I'm holding up traffic on the line, and it'd be more efficient to add 1 or 2 locos to make the journey a little faster.
Yes, it is. I set up an emulation of the old “Oil Cans” in Run 8 and climbing up from Bena to the summit at Tehachapi I was struggling to get over 15 MPH, even with 3 HP per ton for the power. I’m guessing hauling such huge loads on unit trains it’s shifting the bulk mass that counts rather than the time it takes, though guess intermodal traffic is faster and more time critical. The one that always gets me is on Sandpatch, where you get that long stretch with a 25 MPH limit even though not particularly steep or curvy. We really need a faster freight route in the mid West to provide a contrast to the plodding mountain ones.
Maximum continuous tractive effort for freight diesel locomotives is usually achieved at speeds of just 10-15 MPH. If your train can go faster in the worst possible conditions, then you have an excess of power, and lose money. Driving non-electrified freight much faster than that only makes sense, if your minimum power, minimum required speed, maximum length or weight of the train, etc are limited by other factors. Basically, if you have too little cargo to move, or if you need to deliver it quickly, or something like that. But if you just need to consistently move a lot of cargo for as little money as possible, you want to have just enough power to be able to climb the worst grade on the route at 15 MPH.
The average overall speed of US freight is about 20-25 mph. The goal of freight railroads is to get there rather than get there fast. However there are transcons which travel at much higher speeds to carry perishables and time- critical goods across country. I've driven on parallel freeways and watched freight trains pass me at 70 mph in Kansas, Nebraska and Southern Illinois, for example. In order to run fast freights, the Class Ones need to invest in better infrastructure, smoothing out the worst grades and curves, and commit more head-end power. This became more possible when the railroads were deregulated in 1980 and they had more freedom to charge higher rates to shippers.
