Symbol for Rare As Needed Train Out of Moterm

[RoyalKingoftheRails]

This evening in Troy I caught a northbound train with 1 locomotive. CN 3099 was leading a loaded northbound train with all intermodal freight. This is definitely an as needed train, does anyone know the symbol for it? Also since it only had one locomotive I would assume that all the intermodal containers were empty.

[Manistique]

This evening in Troy I caught a northbound train with 1 locomotive. CN 3099 was leading a loaded northbound train with all intermodal freight. This is definitely an as needed train, does anyone know the symbol for it? Also since it only had one locomotive I would assume that all the intermodal containers were empty.

I can't answer your question about symbol but I heard it go by my house and was wondering about it too. It was a very long train and I thought I heard a locomotive working hard in the middle of the train, a DPU. In the not too distant past CN once a week or so ran an extra container train between Prince Rupert and Moterm and it usually had a DPU on it both ways. I haven't seen one of these in over a year but wonder if this was one of those?

Regarding DPU's, we rarely see them on the Holly Sub for some reason and I always wonder why not, what with the rather steep Hill northbounds traverse from Ferndale to Pontiac. I thought a DPU would be better then adding an extra locomotive to the headend for pulling and not pulling out drawbars.

[Saturnalia]

Containers need not be empty for an intermodal to require only modest power. Consider that a single railcar can weigh 286,000 lbs, while the tractor, trailer, and container combo can only be 80,000 lbs.

Therefore, your heaviest intermodal loading is when you have two loaded 20’ on the bottom and a loaded 40’ on top, but these rarely approach a single railcar equivalent, and is a large part of why articulated intermodal equipment is so common, because the axle loading is so low.

Add to that the fact that Michigan is pretty darn flat, and a single locomotive can move a lot of boxes.

[GTW6401]

Train symbol was X117.

[RoyalKingoftheRails]

This evening in Troy I caught a northbound train with 1 locomotive. CN 3099 was leading a loaded northbound train with all intermodal freight. This is definitely an as needed train, does anyone know the symbol for it? Also since it only had one locomotive I would assume that all the intermodal containers were empty.

I can't answer your question about symbol but I heard it go by my house and was wondering about it too. It was a very long train and I thought I heard a locomotive working hard in the middle of the train, a DPU. In the not too distant past CN once a week or so ran an extra container train between Prince Rupert and Moterm and it usually had a DPU on it both ways. I haven't seen one of these in over a year but wonder if this was one of those?

Regarding DPU's, we rarely see them on the Holly Sub for some reason and I always wonder why not, what with the rather steep Hill northbounds traverse from Ferndale to Pontiac. I thought a DPU would be better then adding an extra locomotive to the headend for pulling and not pulling out drawbars.

Actually there was not a DPU, just one locomotive at the front.

[RoyalKingoftheRails]

Train symbol was X117.

Awesome! Thank you.

[RoyalKingoftheRails]

Train symbol was X117.

Oh and where was X117 going to?

[LansingRailFan]

Train symbol was X117.

Oh and where was X117 going to?

Normally Markham. This one was extended to Symington Yard, Winnipeg, Manitoba. They picked up some additional cars in Chicago.