CN Distributed Power Question-

[Standard Railfan]

CN Distributed Power Question-
Last Sunday I happened to Catch the CN freight from Gladstone to the Soo at Engadine around 1615. I was not in a hurry to get back downstate, so I chased them along Hiawatha trail from Engadine to Naubinway road.

I turned onto Naubinway Road and waited for the train to catch up to me. On the point was a single six axle, 2289 IIRC, followed by 40+ ore hoppers (ex coal hoppers). Much to my surprise another unit was cut in ahead of the remaining 50 or so mixed freight cars and judging from hearing the unit throttle up and down, the locomotive was not just along for the ride.

Does CN use this practice on other manifest freights? I have seen this type of set up on unit trains but I had not seen or heard of such thing on manifest freights.

[PatAzo]

I spent quite a bit of time working in Iowa in 2010-2011. It was pretty common on the CN in Iowa while I was there. On the ex-GTW main about the only time I've seen it is on coal trains coming of the BNSF. The profile in Iowa was much more hill & dale than the line across Michigan.

[CAT345C]

From what I have been told they are doing that up there due to some bridge loading requirements. I guess two big heavy 6 axles followed by a bunch of loaded ore is too much for them. The last few ore cars should be empty spacers.

[Tom Train]

The bridges over the Soo Locks are 100+ years old and cannot handle the weight hence the distributed power on the Soo trains.

[Standard Railfan]

Thank you for the information.

I do recall some discussions with CN engineering some years back that the St. Mary's river bridge was inadequate. I had thought some reinforcement work had been done. Perhaps no work was done, or what was done was insufficient.

None the less, an interesting sight to behold way up in the north.

[rrboomer]

For many years pror to sale, Soo Line had a 241,000 pound limit on car weight without idler cars. Locomotive weight was 247,000 lbs., although the CP did use a pair of RS1200's when intermodal traffic was heavy.

Dick Haave