Auto Train

Is this still longest passenger train?

review of auto train trip:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/23/...in5749658.shtml

Daily departures and arrivals in Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla., at 4 p.m. with arrival the next day at 9:30 a.m. Coach seats for passengers range from $93 to $228, depending on timing; a spot for the vehicle costs $152 to $304. Compartments with beds and bathrooms are more. For busy months of April, July and August, and October-December, Amtrak recommends booking four to six months ahead.

In the US, it certainly is the longest passenger train. Of course half the length is the car carriers, but still with 2 diners (sometimes 3), 2 lounge cars, 5 to 6 sleepers, 1 Trans/Dorm, and 5 to 6 coaches, it still a decent sized train.

MrEd said:

Is this still longest passenger train?


review of auto train trip:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/23/...in5749658.shtml

Daily departures and arrivals in Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla., at 4 p.m. with arrival the next day at 9:30 a.m. Coach seats for passengers range from $93 to $228, depending on timing; a spot for the vehicle costs $152 to $304. Compartments with beds and bathrooms are more. For busy months of April, July and August, and October-December, Amtrak recommends booking four to six months ahead.

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If you count the autoracks, then yes (although you could consider this to be a mixed train, not passenger). Passenger wise, a typical consist is 2 P42s and 16 Superliners, which is fairly long, but I'm certain there are longer trains elsewhere in the world.

It's considered a passenger train by CSX, so I'd say it qualifies as the longest passenger train. It operates at normal posted passenger train speeds, but it is limited by equipment to 70 MPH. If you think about it just has a whole bunch of "baggage" cars on the rear. :lol:

battalion51 said:

It's considered a passenger train by CSX, so I'd say it qualifies as the longest passenger train. It operates at normal posted passenger train speeds, but it is limited by equipment to 70 MPH. If you think about it just has a whole bunch of "baggage" cars on the rear. :lol:

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Haha, I like how you think. Really, that is an accurate statement if you think about it. All of those cars in the autoracks are loaded with baggage.

Which is an interesting concept itself - if a train were completely made up of Auto Train auto racks, what then prevents it from being capable of travelling 70 MPH?

Amtrak839 said:

battalion51 said:

It's considered a passenger train by CSX, so I'd say it qualifies as the longest passenger train. It operates at normal posted passenger train speeds, but it is limited by equipment to 70 MPH. If you think about it just has a whole bunch of "baggage" cars on the rear. :lol:

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Haha, I like how you think. Really, that is an accurate statement if you think about it. All of those cars in the autoracks are loaded with baggage.

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And some of the people in the other cars carry baggage - and not just the kind in a suitcase!

VentureForth said:

Which is an interesting concept itself - if a train were completely made up of Auto Train auto racks, what then prevents it from being capable of travelling 70 MPH?

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The Auto Racks are what limits it to 70. The FRA limits these racks to 70 MPH because of height and structural integrity. The Superliners are rated for 100 MPH and the P-42s for 110 MPH.

Related question...

Several years ago, Trains ran an article about the Auto Train and said that, at that time, the train had the early P40's (800 number series) in captive service. I'm 99% sure the reason given was that they didn't have dynamic brakes, which--according to the article--couldn't be used on the Auto Train because of the autoracks being behind the Superliners and the slack issues that would come into play with the dynamics.

For a while now, I believe Amtrak has had the original P40's in storage (they're supposed to be rehabbed with stimulus money) which suggests that the Auto Train operates with regular P42's.

I suppose my question is...is it possible to operate the P42's without using the dynamics? I'm pretty sure they use blended braking, so is there some kind of way to cut that out for this train? If the P42's have that option, why did Amtrak go through the trouble of the 800's in captive service? From a train handling perspective, it sounds right to me that you'd want the train to stay stretched no matter what.

~Blake

No no no no no. The P-40's most DEFINITELY have dynamic brakes. There hasn't been an engine made in a LONG time that hasn't had dynamics. The difference with the P-40s was the brake stand. The P-42's have an electronic brake stand that isn't as user friendly with a long train like Auto Train. Dynamic braking is used on pretty much every train out there. It's a necessity. However, blended braking is out the window with Auto Train because the train runs in direct release due to the Auto Carriers. In order to even think about running with blended braking you need to be able to operate in graduated release.

battalion51 said:

No no no no no. The P-40's most DEFINITELY have dynamic brakes. There hasn't been an engine made in a LONG time that hasn't had dynamics. The difference with the P-40s was the brake stand. The P-42's have an electronic brake stand that isn't as user friendly with a long train like Auto Train. Dynamic braking is used on pretty much every train out there. It's a necessity. However, blended braking is out the window with Auto Train because the train runs in direct release due to the Auto Carriers. In order to even think about running with blended braking you need to be able to operate in graduated release.

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Right on, that makes sense.

I am curious about graduated release. I've never operated a train (or simmed a train) with that feature. I have the Amtrak operating manual which outlines when it can and can't be used, but I have no insight into how it affects train handling. Is it essentially the same as direct release, except that as you back off the automatic brake you get release the further you come off it, or is there some sort of additional 'working' of the automatic brake, similar to non-self-lapping brakes?

~Blake

In graduated release you can back off the air if you hit it too hard initially. So if you go down to Suppression you can back off to a minimum application. If you're running in direct and you grab too much air you have to kick the brakes off and go back after it. The downside to going back after it is that in order to get an effective application you have to wait for the brakes to charge back up. When you're running a short train that doesn't take as long as it does with a big train like Auto Train. Obviously handling wise it's much easier to operate a train in graduated than in direct.