How many tons can a Dash 9 Locomotive pull?

Question

How many tons can a Dash 9 Loco pull. Lets just say that the grades would be very low and turns would be average. Also what is the average fuel consumption of a Dash 9 fully used and what would it be if it were pulling the same railcars back empty. Doesn't have to be a Dash 9... Just comparable in the sense that it is fairly new.

Answer 1

The new Dash 9's will pull quite a bit.  The most I've pulled with one was around 6,500 tons, and this was uphill for several miles.  Mind you, we rarely exceeded 20 mph.

On CN, we have a section of our operating manual that displays a table of tonnage charts.  It tells us how much each locomotive can pull over each subdivision, but, of course, that's only a guide.

Rain, snow, and how the weight is distributed play a huge role.  These charts assume you'll hit certain grades at track speed, which is not always the case if you have to switch enroute.

Also, locomotives are like cars, in the sense that individual units of identical models perform differently.  Some Dash 9's (or any other series, for that matter) will pull just about anything you put behind them, and others will struggle with even moderate size trains.

Answer 2

mainly depends on the grade of the track (up / down hill)

Answer 3

Boy.....you already know the lingo "Dash 9" this and that.......grades, turns, weight loaded and empty.  If you know this info. already...............you can do the math.  You sure you aren't just testing us?.........4,400 hp for each engine........you figure the rest.