15 replies to this topic

[Anderson]

I'm just wondering what the longest passenger train in recorded history would have been (both including and excluding emergency jam-togethers like occasionally happen with a hyper-delayed Empire Builder). Going down the list of ones I know of:
-On non-merged trains, the longest with a set of purpose-built equipment in US history that I can think of would be the 18-car sets that the Pennsy ran between NYP and WAS at one time.
-In India, I think the max is 24 cars due to power limitations.
-Under Amtrak, the merged Silver Meteor/Champion got up to 28 cars or so back during the 1979 cuts.
-SP got pretty bad about train mergers and the combined Sunset/Golden State apparently ran up close to 40 cars on some occasions, virtually all coach (there may have been multiple mergers implicit there)...which is a doozy of a thought (particularly if they got the equipment to match by some miracle).

Does anyone know of any monster trains longer than SP's rumored misadventure? And while I'm thinking of it...how did they power all the cars? With SP at the time, I can believe "they didn't" would be the answer.

[jphjaxfl]

I'm just wondering what the longest passenger train in recorded history would have been (both including and excluding emergency jam-togethers like occasionally happen with a hyper-delayed Empire Builder). Going down the list of ones I know of:
-On non-merged trains, the longest with a set of purpose-built equipment in US history that I can think of would be the 18-car sets that the Pennsy ran between NYP and WAS at one time.
-In India, I think the max is 24 cars due to power limitations.
-Under Amtrak, the merged Silver Meteor/Champion got up to 28 cars or so back during the 1979 cuts.
-SP got pretty bad about train mergers and the combined Sunset/Golden State apparently ran up close to 40 cars on some occasions, virtually all coach (there may have been multiple mergers implicit there)...which is a doozy of a thought (particularly if they got the equipment to match by some miracle).

Does anyone know of any monster trains longer than SP's rumored misadventure? And while I'm thinking of it...how did they power all the cars? With SP at the time, I can believe "they didn't" would be the answer.

When the Golden State was still running, it had Sleeping Car and Dining Car Service until the end in 1967-68. It was the last Rock Island Train to carry Sleepers. Even when it was combined with the Sunset, it was not more than 12-15 cars combined. When the Sunset ran with coaches plus and Automat car, it was generally 5 cars. Not many passengers wanted to ride that far in coach with limited meal service and no sleeping cars. Espee was trying to drive off passengers and they were successful. Of course many of the trains carried mail and express cars that made them twice as long as the passenger carrying cars. The longest trains were probably special movements for events such as the Kentucky Derby. I lived across the road from the Pennylvania RR tracks in Southern Indiana in 1966 and 1967 when I was in college. The winter season South Wind would have as many as 19 passenger cars plus 2 baggage cars enroute Chicago to Florida. There were 2 sleepers from Chicago to Miami, 1 sleeper Chicago to Jacksonville, 2 Sleepers Chicago to Tampa and 1 sleeper Chicago to St. Pete, a 6 BR Sleeping Lounge or Observation from Chicago to Miami, a full Dining Car, a full midtrain lounge car 4 Coaches Chicago-Miami, 2 Coaches Chicago-Tampa, and two Chicago St. Pete. There were no mail cars on the Southwind. The train was usually Pennsy Tuscan red including locomotives for 1 train and Coastline Silver with purple letterboards and black locomotives for the other train. The South Wind operated every other day with 2 sets of equipment alternatiing with the City of Miami. If travel was really heavy, L&N would tack on in Louisville one of their dark blue coaches in the front if there was a tear drop observation and on the rear if not.

[jimhudson]

IINM when Santa Fe started combining the Super Chief and the El Capitan on the CHI-LAX Route it made for some Long Trains since there was the all Sleeper Super Chief and the All Coach El Cap with assorted Diners, Cafe Cars, Lounges, Baggage Cars, Sigle and Bi-Level Cars etc.(don't think there were Mail Cars on these Trains?? ) not tomention however many Locomotives were pulling this Long Combo Train!

Edited by jimhudson, 31 July 2012 - 07:00 AM.

[Ispolkom]

And while I'm thinking of it...how did they power all the cars? With SP at the time, I can believe "they didn't" would be the answer.

I don't think they used head-end power. Wikipedia claims, "While commuter fleets were quickly converted to HEP, long distance trains continued to operate with steam heat and battery-powered electrical systems [charged by a dynamo underneath each carriage]."

ETA: How long was the UP City of Everywhere?

Edited by Ispolkom, 31 July 2012 - 09:13 AM.

[MrFSS]

• Kijfhoek–Breda Run on 19 February 1989, as a test and publicity stunt what would become the longest passenger train in the world. The train was pulled by one 1500 V DC locomotive and had 60 passenger cars, of which only the first 14 cars held actual passengers during the run.

• Ghent–Oostende On 27 April 1991, one electric loco and 70 passenger cars (totalling 1733 m and 2786 ton, excluding locomotive) held a charity run for the Belgian Cancer Fund, thereby exceeding the Dutch record.

[MikefromCrete]

And while I'm thinking of it...how did they power all the cars? With SP at the time, I can believe "they didn't" would be the answer.

I don't think they used head-end power. Wikipedia claims, "While commuter fleets were quickly converted to HEP, long distance trains continued to operate with steam heat and battery-powered electrical systems [charged by a dynamo underneath each carriage]."

ETA: How long was the UP City of Everywhere?

Head end power did not start on intercity trains until well into the Amtrak era.

[Bill Haithcoat]

The longest train I have ever been on was an eastbound Canadian with 30 cars, three of them deadhead.

When Amtrak operated the CZ, the Pioneer and the Desert wind together if made for about 18 giant superliners. It is a wonder we did not topple off the mountain.

As already mentioned, trains from Chicago to Florida, like the South Wind, and from New York to FLorida could be very long in the winter.I would point out that the West Coast Champion was usually about the longest,about 22 cars.

A preAmtrak train I have never seen much about on here was the original Texas Eagle. It used to operate in two sections.

It had things like this:

Sr.Louis to Houston and also San Antonio and even at times a through sleeper from Chicago to Mexico City.Through pullman from Memphis to Houston

St.Louis to Dallas, Fort Worth and El Paso.
A through sleeper from Dallas to Los Angeles.
Through coach and sleeper from Memphis to Fort worth.
Other various sleeper lines,Like St Louis to Hot Springs and StLouis to El Dorado.

Sleepers from New York, Chicago and Washington to the various Texas destinations.
There was even a through slumbercoach from Baltimore to San Antonio.

In later years it combined with the Louisiana Eagle from New Orleans to Ft Worth.

Note that it was a St. Louis based train though it ran a few sleepers from Chicago.But the basic Chicago Texas was served mostly by Santa Fe and others.

So, how long? First time I saw it, a few days before Xmas about 1962, it was in two sections about 20 cars each. I was thrilled.Some of that was extra equipment for the holidays.





It

[Anderson]

• Kijfhoek–Breda Run on 19 February 1989, as a test and publicity stunt what would become the longest passenger train in the world. The train was pulled by one 1500 V DC locomotive and had 60 passenger cars, of which only the first 14 cars held actual passengers during the run.

• Ghent–Oostende On 27 April 1991, one electric loco and 70 passenger cars (totalling 1733 m and 2786 ton, excluding locomotive) held a charity run for the Belgian Cancer Fund, thereby exceeding the Dutch record.

Ok, I will take this as a winner...though I'm inclined to put in a restriction of "in revenue service". For that, I think either Bill's Canadian or the rumored Champion/Meteor combo probably takes the prize, based on what I've seen.

[the_traveler]

Though not all passenger cars, including the auto racks, I thought the AT at over 45 cars was the longest on Amtrak?

[Devil's Advocate]

Though not all passenger cars, including the auto racks, I thought the AT at over 45 cars was the longest on Amtrak?

I would suggest we avoid including freight cars when determining the world's longest passenger train. Can the Auto Train even compete with VIA's Canadian for number of active duty passenger cars?

[johnny.menhennet]

Though not all passenger cars, including the auto racks, I thought the AT at over 45 cars was the longest on Amtrak?

I would suggest we avoid including freight cars when determining the world's longest passenger train. Can the Auto Train even compete with VIA's Canadian for number of active duty passenger cars?

I don't think so.

[AlanB]

The AT at max I believe has 18 cars. Today's has only 16 passenger cars, and that includes the crew dorm, lounges, & dinners.

[Texan Eagle]

So if we don't consider historic trains that no longer run, are the longest passenger trains in daily regular passenger service today, not one-off runs i.e. you can book a ticket for any day and still it would be that long, the Indian express trains with 24 revenue passenger cars?

BTW in reference to the original post, the reason express trains in India are restricted to 24 car length is not power requirements, it is due to platform length and siding length limitations.

[Anderson]

So if we don't consider historic trains that no longer run, are the longest passenger trains in daily regular passenger service today, not one-off runs i.e. you can book a ticket for any day and still it would be that long, the Indian express trains with 24 revenue passenger cars?

BTW in reference to the original post, the reason express trains in India are restricted to 24 car length is not power requirements, it is due to platform length and siding length limitations.

That would be my guess, but I'm not sure there. It's always possible that there's something longer in either China or Russia, but those would really be the only candidates for longer trains that I could think of.

[railiner]

I'm just wondering what the longest passenger train in recorded history would have been (both including and excluding emergency jam-togethers like occasionally happen with a hyper-delayed Empire Builder). Going down the list of ones I know of:.
-Under Amtrak, the merged Silver Meteor/Champion got up to 28 cars or so back during the 1979 cuts.

Are you sure about that length?
IIRC, Amtrak had an arbitrary 18 car limit, dictated somewhat by the maximum that could be accommodated on the longest platform at NYP......

As for trains like the so-called UP "City of Everywhere".....IIRC, while certainly long, it wasn't quite as long as some would think if they thought all of the previous trains consists in its combination were included in it. It only carried a portion of each former train.

[Swadian Hardcore]

This one's really long, a full 28 cars, http://www.railpictu...=371614&nseq=25, but it still falls a bit short of the 30-car Canadian.