Why do they say that trains get such good gas mileage?

Question

Why do they say that trains get such good gas mileage?

Answer 1

They don't get good gas mileage per se, but they can move a whole lot of cargo for a whole lot less gas than other modes of transportation.

Answer 2

trains move mass quantities as opposed to automobiles.  heres a side note, freight trains are actually moved by an electric motor, that electric motor is powered by a DIESEL generator, thus allowing trains to use very little fuel.

Answer 3

Think of it this way. A car's tire flattens out some on bottom where the tire sits on the street.  This is called the contact point and is about the size of your hand. This is necessary for proper traction. But the rubber tire and the traction create resistance and friction. The amount of horsepower required for a car to operate the way we expect it to is about 70 horsepower per ton, conservatively. A steel wheel on a rail creates very little resistance and friction. The contact point is about the size of a dime. One person can move a 25 ton caboose alone, due to such low resistance. (I've done it.) In terms of fuel economy, a train only requires about 4 horsepower per ton. Many factors play in to the mileage of a train such as the weight of the train, curves, gradient, and number of stops, just to name some. However, it is not at all an exaggeration to state that a train can move one ton of freight over 400 miles on one gallon of fuel. BTW, Good question.

Answer 4

Trains don't use gas, they use diesel. Diesel engines typically get better mileage than gas engines.

Answer 5

Derail I want to come work on your railroad lol.We only average about 2.5 HPT.We're in heaven if we get one over 3.5 HPT. Now we have someting they call fuel conservation speed.Above 50mph your not allowed above run 5,under 50mph you can go to run 8.Do you have that where your working too?

Answer 6

low horse-power per ton ratio

would be like driving your car with a lawn mower engine

Answer 7

Well, they don't figure using "MPG", but rather Ton/Miles Per Gallon.

At full rack (aka "run 8" or "wide open") the newer, more fuel efficient locomotives are consuming around 165 gallons per hour.  A significant improvement over the old SD45s and their 196 gallon per hour thirst.  That is per locomotive, so, if you have four newer locos in the consist, multiply 165 by 4, and you are consuming 660 gal/hr.  At $2.75 per gal for fuel, the consist is drinking $1850 worth of diesel every hour.

But, if pulling an average 10,000 ton train, in terms of cost of fuel, you're only spending 18 and 1/2 cents per ton per mile to move it.  That's pretty good mileage, yes?

But, unless climbing a grade, you are only in run 8 until you get the train up to maximum authorized speed, then throttle back to maintain that speed, making throttle adjustments as necessary.

Once you're at that point is where the significant TMPG goes way up.  As a current NS commercial says, move one ton 420 miles on one gallon of fuel.

If your car weighs two tons, you could drive it 210 miles on a gallon of fuel, using this method of calculation and with benefit of a very low coefficient of friction when running on rails...  Too bad it's impossible to do.

And that is the reason why railroads are here to stay.

Answer 8

It's because of the large number of tons of freight or the hundreds of passengers that can be moved by the locomotive or locomotives.  The diesel engine(s) burn quite a bit of fuel, but the power produced is used many, many times more efficiently than it is with cars and trucks.