Noun 1. railroad line - line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight railroad, railway, railway line, railway system
Full Answer
What is a railroad?
Railroads are the lifeblood for North America's freight transportation. There are seven major railroads in the United States (Class I railroads) and over 500 shortline and regional railroads (Class II & Class III railroads). These lines are critical for shippers needing an economical solution to long-haul transportation.
What is a line haul railroad?
Line-haul railroad: Today this term refers to all Class Is, regionals, and some shortlines. It is used to describe a railroad that operates through freight from one point to another and is distinguished from switching and terminal railroads. Load limit: The maximum load that a rail line/bridge/freight or passenger car is capable of handling.
What is the size of the railroad line in the railway?
The railroad line is 762 mm wide, the same as Alishan Forest Railway. Bolt, the general foreman for Tug Mackintosh's railroad line, is charged with the simple task of meeting and bringing Mack's young bride-to-be to the end of the tracks.
What is a short line railroad?
Short lines are smaller railroads that run shorter distances and connect shippers with the larger freight rail network. Chuck Baker, President of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, explains the important role short lines play in the U.S. freight shipping network.
What was the railroad line?
As the Wikipedia article notes, the railroad "was a 1,912-mile (3,077 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. When Will We Be Able to Nail the "Golden Spike" in the Foundation of the New Healthcare?
What is the purpose of a railroad?
Railroads are the most efficient transportation mode for moving goods on the earth's surface. Railroads are of particular importance for the movement of commodities that heavy and moved in bulk over long distances where the transportation spend represents a large portion of the total delivered cost.
What is the difference between a railroad and a railway?
In most of the English speaking countries including UK and even Canada, the word that is used to refer to a system of trains running on rails made of iron is railways. On the other hand, railroad is the term that is used in the US for trains running on rails.
Who owns the railroad line?
national railways, rail transportation services owned and operated by national governments. U.S. railways are privately owned and operated, though the Consolidated Rail Corporation was established by the federal government and Amtrak uses public funds to subsidize privately owned intercity passenger trains.
What are the benefits of railroads?
6 Surprising Advantages of Rail Transport Over Road TransportRail transport can be cost effective. ... Shipping via train is more environmentally friendly. ... Trains are capable of hauling large loads. ... Railways are reliable. ... Rail freight can be efficient. ... Rail options provide you with access to capacity.
Who built the railroad?
John Stevens is considered to be the father of American railroads. In 1826 Stevens demonstrated the feasibility of steam locomotion on a circular experimental track constructed on his estate in Hoboken, New Jersey, three years before George Stephenson perfected a practical steam locomotive in England.
What is a railroad worker called?
Trainmen. Trainmen, or brakemen, also report to the trainmaster, but follow the instructions of the conductor and of “others with proper authority.” They're responsible for the caboose identification markers, or the electronic end-of-train device.
What is the end of a railway line called?
terminusIn railway terminology, a train station at the end, or terminus, of a rail line.
What is the bottom of a train called?
A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting, keeping a lookout for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo, and overheating axles.
Why are there no trains in America?
The United States has no such corridors. High‐speed rail is an obsolete technology because it requires expensive and dedicated infrastructure that will serve no purpose other than moving passengers who could more economically travel by highway or air.
What railroad Does Bill Gates Own?
Bill Gates sold about $940 million of Canadian National Railway Co. shares, trimming one of the largest holdings of the investment firm that controls his $117 billion personal fortune.
What state has the most railroads?
TexasRail miles in each U.S. state 2020 As of 2020, Texas was the U.S. state with the largest railroad mileage, reaching over 10,400 miles. It represented around 7.6 percent of the total mileage for the United States.
Why are short line railroads called short lines?
Even though short line railroads are named as such because their tracks are literally “shorter” than those of their Class I Railroad counterparts , Chuck Baker, President of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, says sometimes “short” is a relative term.
How many miles of track does a short line railroad have?
Although they may be smaller, short line railroads make a big impact on freight shipping. Collectively, they operate 50,000 miles of track — that’s nearly 40 percent of the national railroad network. American short lines operate in 49 of the 50 states and in five of those states, they operate 100 percent of the freight rail.
What is the Lycoming Valley Railroad?
Lycoming Valley Railroad. Short line railroads play an important part in supply chains, providing shippers a critical connection to the nation’s rail network and allowing them to ship by rail, which can be a more economical shipping solution than truck.
What are short lines?
Just like Class I Railroads, short lines ship a wide variety of goods, from chemicals to food to bulk products. “Short lines serve all manner of rail shippers, but they tend to be pretty heavy on manufacturing customers, agricultural customers and a variety of industrial users, shipping things like grain, soy beans, paper, lumber, rock, ...
How long is the Pan Am Railroad?
By contrast, Pan Am Railways in New England is 1,700 miles long,” he said. “They’re all obviously quite a bit smaller than Class I Railroads, but they do come in a variety of shapes and sizes.”. So while Pan Am is a great deal longer than many of the other short line railroads, it’s still much shorter than a Class I Railroad like Union Pacific, ...
What is the purpose of railroads?
Unlike other forms of transportation, railroads offer a more affordable means of transport, making people across states and international borders. This means that any person can live anywhere they please.
What is a Canadian railroad?
The Canadian railroad is filled with short lines that link the mainline and the regional railroad. Our company can work with short line connections to satisfy the needs of our customers and their businesses in the Canadian and North American region.
Why is data analysis important in the railroad industry?
With the digitization of the rail industry, data analysis software is meant to make railroads safer, reliable, and efficient in service provision to the customers. Technology will aim to eliminate human error on railroad operations for better safety and efficiency.
Is Canadian Pacific Railroad a top line company?
As one of the top line companies in the railroad industry in the Canadian Pacific, our company has well-trained employees who have set the best track record in the history of railroads. Our company has recruited the top industry experts depending on the type of rail car.
What is the main part of a railroad?
The main part of a railroad track is rails. Most modern rails have a profile that shaped like an I-beam vertically symmetric but horizontal asymmetric. To meet the needs of turnout, large bridges, and seamless lines and other structures, non-axisymmetric rails are produced as well. Railroad rails are made from steels which can be subjected ...
What are railroad rails made of?
Railroad rails are made from steels which can be subjected to very high stresses by the trains. To make the rail better withstand the forces from all sides, to ensure the necessary strength conditions, the rails should be fabricated with enough height.
What are rail fasteners used for?
Fasteners are used for fixing rails to railway sleepers. It is also a very important component of railway track. Most commonly seen fasteners include spikes, screws, rail anchors, tie plates, chairs, etc. Various types of fasteners have been used over the years. Other track materials like rail clip, rail clamp, rail pad, rail joints also belong to railway fastening systems.
What is a rail clip?
Rail clip is used to fix the railroad track to underlying baseplate and sleepers. The clamping force by rail clips helps to maintain the gauge and prevent the rail from moving in the vertical and horizontal direction relative to the sleeper. One extensively used type of rail clip is an elastic rail clip made of hot-pressed spring steel.
What is a railway sleeper?
Railway sleeper. A railway sleeper is also called a railroad tie or crosstie. It is an easily overlooked component of railway tracks. The sleepers not only support the rail but also maintain the position of the rail. Besides, it helps to transmit the huge pressure by rail to the trackbed. It is required to have a certain degree ...
How to ensure a reliable connection between rail and sleeper?
Effectively guarantee the reliable connection between rail and rail, rail and sleeper. Maintain the continuity and integrity of the rail to the most. Prevent the horizontal and vertical movement of the steel rail relative to the sleeper, ensure the normal gauge.
What is a railroad switch?
Railroad switch. Railway switch is also called turnout. As its name indicates, it is a component for rolling stocks to turn from one track to another. It is usually laid in large numbers at stop stations and marshalling stations. With turnouts, you can give full play to the passing capacity of the line. Even if it is a single-track railway, lay the ...
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How wide is the gauge of a railroad?
The US standard railroad gauge is 4 feet, 8.5 inches (Gauge means width between the two rails). The U.S. federal safety standards allow the standard gauge to vary from 4 ft 8 in (1,420 mm) to 4 ft 9 1⁄2 in (1,460 mm) for operation up to 60 mph (97 km/h). It’s commonly believed and was even written about in Popular Mechanics, ...
What is the first step in laying down a railroad track?
The first step of laying down a railroad track is not very obvious, happening below the surface. One of the first things crews typically do is grade or install drainage systems in order to prevent the railway from waterlogging. These systems typically utilize pipes, carrier drains, and sometimes attenuation ponds, in order to ensure that proper drainage occurs, and subgrade deterioration and erosion are avoided.
What is the term for the rails that are fixed to the sleepers of wood?
Once this process is complete, railroad spikes and fasteners, also called chairs, are fixed to the sleepers of wood, or bolted down with a chairbolt. At this point, the rail is ready to be lowered onto the sleepers and fastened to the spikes.
How are rails welded together?
Rails are welded together by using flash butt welding to make a single continuous rail which might be a few kilometers long. As there are just a few joints, this kind, of course, is quite powerful, provides a smooth ride, and requires less maintenance; trains may travel on it at greater rates and with less friction.
Is a school bus a commuter bus?
This is required by law in the US. But only for school buses, not regular commuter buses. The law goes back to a 1938 fatal accident in Utah where the driver stopped at the railroad but did not visually confirm if a train was coming due to blizzard conditions.
What is the BLE railroad?
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Belt line: Refers to a railroad that operates exclusively in and/or around a large city. BLE: Refers to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers which is a railroad labor union (made up of engineers and dispatchers throughout the U.S. and Canada) created in 1863.
What is a mixed train?
Merger: The assimilation of one or more corporations by another. Mixed train: Refers to a train hauling both freight and passengers. Name train: This refers to, usually, passenger trains during the days when the private railroads operated them. A named train was much more esteemed than a train with only a number.
What does "bad order" mean in locomotives?
Bad order: A freight car which has been barred from service because of a mechanical problem or defect. To mark such a car a card is placed on it by a car inspector.
What is dual service locomotive?
Dual-service: Locomotives which pull both freight and passenger trains. Dump the air: Meaning to apply the air brakes, usually during an emergency of some sort. Eighth notch: Like the gears in an automobile the eight notch is the final, and most powerful position on the locomotive's throttle.
What is bridge route?
Bridge route: Refers to a railroad which typically has more bridge/through traffic operating over its rails than terminating/originating traffic. Bridge traffic: Also known as overhead traffic it is freight received from one railroad to be moved by a second railroad for delivery to a third.
What are Granger roads?
Granger roads: The term applied to the Midwestern/Plains railroads that earned a substantial portion of the earnings from America's Breadbasket (agriculture). These railroads included the Chicago & North Western, Chicago Great Western, Minneapolis & St. Louis, Rock Island, Milwaukee Road, and the Burlington Route.
How sharp is a railroad curve?
Curves of 1 or 2 degrees are the most common on mainline railroads; the sharpest curve a common four-axle diesel can take is about 20 degrees when coupled to other rolling stock, more than 40 degrees when by itself . Mountainous territory, however, generally dictates curves of 5 to 10 degrees, or even sharper.
Why are railroad curves important?
An important feature of a railroad curve is the extent to which it is “superelevated,” or banked.
What is the steepest grade on a railroad?
The steepest grade on a major railroad’s main track ( as opposed to industrial spurs) was historically said to be on the Pennsylvania Railroad north of Madison, Ind. Now operated by short line Madison Railroad, the track rises 413 feet over a distance of 7012 feet – a 5.89-percent grade.
Why are railroads arrow straight?
Trains use less energy, speeds are higher, and there’s less wear on equipment when railroads can build on an arrow-straight line. But the land rises and falls, obstacles must be avoided, and the ideal is more the exception than the rule. That requires grades to compensate for changes in elevation and curves to reorient the direction of the tracks.
What is the rule grade for a locomotive?
A given locomotive, then, can haul only half the tonnage up a .25-percent grade that it can on the level. Descending grades carry their own penalties in the form of equipment wear and tear and increased fuel consumption. The term “ruling grade” is used to describe the limiting grade between two terminals.
What are the units used to measure curves?
Since curve measurement is the description of an angle, the units used are the familiar ones from geometry class: degrees, minutes, and seconds. (Remember from geometry class that a circle contain 360 degrees.) Curvature can be expressed in terms of the number of degrees traversed by 100 feet of track.
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