How much does a freight train weigh??

Question

I'm sure it varries. Does anyone have a ballpark figure?

Answer 1

I believe New Zealand had a 1000 tonne limit, but I am in China and my guess is their trains are well over this.  I was on a train that had to stop and let another pass. It took a minimum of 15 minutes to pass by and was going a minimum of 10 km / hr.

Answer 2

Locomotives weigh anywhere from 120 to 240 tons each, depending on the size.  Mainline units are the heaviest, switcher units and yard engines are the lightest.

Rail cars can weigh anywhere from 30 tons (empty) to 140 tons (loaded) each.  Special cars designed to carry extra heavy loads can weigh well in excess of 200 tons.  Generally speaking, these loads are special moves, given their heavy weight, and usually require special handling.

The heaviest train I've ever had was around 13,000 tons.  Generally speaking, though, most are in the 3,000-8,000 ton range.

Answer 3

locomotives are anywhere from 100 tons to about 250 tons

box cars loaded about 90 tons

covered hoppers and open top hoppers loaded 130 tons

and flat cars any where from 50 tons loaded to 200+ loaded

Answer 4

A full load of coal hoppers or open gonds of about one hundred thirty cars weighs in at about 19900 tons! Hope this helps

Answer 5

The engine itself weighs about 150 tons, each box rail car weighs about 90 tons on avg..Look at the writing on the side of the cars as they go by, it usually gives the weight of each car

Answer 6

The Mendip Rail Jumbotrains are the heaviest in the UK with a loaded weight of up to 4000t. They are some of the heaviest trains to be hauled by a single locomotive in the world.

Some of the lightest are Direct Rail Services with a load of only 150t hauled by two locomotives - but in that case its more the regulations for hauling the cargo that mean it must be hauled by two engines seperately from other freight - A nuclear flask!

Answer 7

All good answers.  Good luck trying to pick a best.

But, "Bad bus driving wolf" definitely identified some of the heaviest, which are actually in China, and at least one line there operates freight trains at 23,000 long tons (metric tonnes).

I know they weren't Kamikazes, but,  Cheesus K. Reist...........

Answer 8

depending on what it is hauling, how many cars, etc...

The total weight can vary from 400 tons to well over 17,000 tons