The fastest NS intermodal I've seen as of yet

Blink and you'll miss it! Previously I had tried to calculate the speed of this monster, but my methodology was dubious at best, and led to the (incorrect) assertion that this train was moving over 67 mph. Although this train isn't nearly pushing seventy, it's still moving at a very good clip. I would still assert that it was cheating the 60 mph track speed just a little.
P.S. Thank you all so much for 69,000 views and over 1,000 likes! I highly recommend you check out the channel while you're here!
This video was edited in Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13.0. All footage belongs to me, and in order to be used, permission must be gotten by emailing me at [e-mail].

[@oldgoat142]

It never ceases to amaze me how deceptively fast a train seems to be going looking at it either head on or as it's going away. I guess that's why so many people think they can beat a train at a crossing. They just can't get it through their heads that the train wins every single time, with possibly passengers paying the price for the stupidity of the driver.

[@plateshutoverlock]

Let's all pause and take a moment to think about the insane amount of kinetic energy in a train like this going as fast as it is here.

[@NortheasternP.T.S.]

Don’t want to. Too big of a number

[@N330AA]

Dramatic skies and that train is absolutely haulin'

[@johndeerefan725]

Great catch, that's one fast horse there, likely going 60 MPH.

[@nseasternrailfanner7775]

This single video made me want to go there, upon going there, loved it after the first train. Very good spot for fast trains and far view if you’re looking for speed outside of Harrisburg

[@feeberizer]

Reminds of the trains blasting through at 70mph when I used to live in Kansas....

[@ososlife4369]

damn

[@mackenziezimmerer7926]

A stretch on NS through Camden Ohio is about a 6 or 7 miles long downhill grade of maybe 1%. not steep but no uphills and I've witnessed many crews getting back on schedule cause there's no way 60mph was the limit back in the day. Counted 93 cars galloping by in a minute and 19 seconds once 💨

[@mikeprice9826]

the power in those locomotives is insane

[@isaacwright7805]

This train is so loud it's an ace

[@NJT4211]

Amazing Video! Those K5LLA's are like the best horns! Amazing echoing

[@charlesadamson7810]

This train is "cookin'" Good work Nick

[@derricktherailfan]

Really nice video Nicolas!!!😁👍🏿 Great job! The ns intermodal train was very fast and long!

[@TypicalTrainSeeker]

Great capture bud! Love that K5LLA!

[@justinbourget1560]

Wow,this is a perfect shot,good job 🙂🚂

[@aIex_ander]

Cool Ace, that thing is FLYING!

[@NickyDsTrains]

Thanks to all of you for 10,000 views! If you liked what you saw, be sure to check out the rest of my channel.

[@undergaming5331]

Its norfolk southern with the fastest horse on the side. Of course its fast!

[@dmorgan28]

A super fast one. I enjoyed it and subscribed. Thanks 👍👍👍❤️

[@elvisbest3213]

talking about knocking a signal down damn

[@shoreextremeoutdoors5324]

Nice shot Nick

[@4funJust4you]

Cool catch! Love that SD70ACC and that K5LLA!

[@ejdsndnj]

It's an sd70ace

[@4funJust4you]

@@ejdsndnj Oh.

[@TheMetGuy]

That horn sounds awesome, love fast intermodals

[@TheMetGuy]

Love these EMDs!

[@seaboardspastic]

Reminds me of my current home, where CSX Priority Trains buzz past my house at 75 MPH. Trust me, they knocked down a tree branch before.

[@Major_Tom98]

Track speed for freights there is 60 but there may be some occasions where dispatch may let them run 65. Amtrak tops out at 80.

[@FFred-us9tw]

@@Major_Tom98 Dispatcher's can't let a train exceed the maximum authorized speed. NS System special instructions allow for 60 max for Intermodal. PTC enforces that.

[@tbb236]

@@FFred-us9tw as an ns employee, this is 100% correct. System wide 60 mph max. Less than that in some areas

[@devonbrown6257]

@@FFred-us9tw you are correct. Track speed is 60mph for NS. There are no occasions that the dispatch will let NS intermodal run at 70mph.

[@MatthewTheRailfanner]

I've seen a UP Intermodal go 73. But 67 is still pretty fast for an Intermodal!

[@NickyDsTrains]

Most definitely! This is just the fastest NS intermodal I've seen, I clocked a BNSF at 74 back on our 2017 trip!

[@MatthewTheRailfanner]

74??? You've gotta be kidding me. I subbed btw.

[@creeperkillere]

Yeah I saw a UP over in OR I bet it was doing 80/75 on the main, Couldn't get the full train but saw the middle of it.

[@stevenelleby8685]

I have seen a southbound CN intermodal on the former IC in northern Illinois doing 71mph by the detector in Manteno and and have it on video with the detector readout.

[@stevenelleby8685]

If Amtrak was running late it was common for them to pass by the Manteno, Illinois detector on the CN doing about 82mph before they cut over to PTC.

[@austinbober2092]

Im out in central IL and we got signs posted along our BNSF lines that say "trains may exceed 80mph" and they do often.

[@FFred-us9tw]

The BNSF line you are referring to is 70MPH max for Intermodal. The higher speeds are for Amtrak.

[@vuurvrrailfanner4656]

Thats a pretty fast SD70ACE i like those kind of trains because they look better than the other trains

[@robertgardner8680]

Guaranteed he wasn’t going 67 because the penalty for these engineers speeding is not good.

[@Ambitious_Scripter]

Before I read description I guessed it was going around 70 mph.

[@angelabrown701]

That is not 70mph. May be 60.

[@Ambitious_Scripter]

@@angelabrown701 Possibly 50-65 mph. Never normally see NS Intermodals going that fast on the mainline.

[@alankjkj1]

He or she surely had their giddyup on.

[@WorldWideOfTrainsAndTrucks]

Wow Nice Video!

[@jamesstallings2007]

He was moving !!!!

[@carletoncandis635]

Pennsy position signal lights

[@lorthathmerthy]

Great video. One thing though. Track speed has to be higher than 60 if it was truly going 67 as you say it was. I know this because PTC will enforce a PCS application as soon as the train reaches 3 mph over the indicated maximum track speed. I know this because I'm in the cab every day.

[@NickyDsTrains]

I've been meaning to change the description of this video for a looong while at this point due to similar feedback and an increase in my own knowledge. Thank you for the insight, and for stopping by!

[@Helvett222]

Super train , super sound , super speed , super video /\/ greetings from Poland /\/ significant date 11.09.2021 , 21:57 CET

[@MiddleTennesseeRailProductions]

I plan to visit this spot when I'm in Lancaster on October 3-7. I take it this is pretty common for a stacker to exceed 60-65 mph on this stretch?

[@NickyDsTrains]

Not as common as it used to be, but for the most part you can still expect at least one or two to come through at a good clip in an outing.

[@MiddleTennesseeRailProductions]

@@NickyDsTrains 👍

[@amjkodaz]

Late to the party lol. PTC is now equipped which throws the train into emergency if it exceeds 60 MPH.

[@anthonycedar7]

How do you calculate the speed by counting frames?

[@NickyDsTrains]

It's all to do with the length of whatever passes through the frame. I tend to use locomotives -- anyway, the way to do this is by seeing how many frames a certain object takes to pass. Once you're done counting, divide the amount of frames the passing object took to pass into your total frames per second (for example, if something takes 45 frames to pass and you're recording at 60 frames per second, you would divide 45 by 60). The decimal you get here is the total amount of time the object took to pass. Copy this number to your clipboard (or something). It is vital that you know the length of the passing object, as it is used in the next step. Now, take the length of the object, in feet (remember, 3 inches is 0.25 of a foot, etc.), hit the divide button and paste the time decimal you got earlier. The number you're getting now is the object's speed in feet/second. Once you have this number, simply convert it to mph by multiplying by 0.682 to get your speed in miles per hour.

[@NickTheRailfan]

Nicolas LD it doesnt work it gives me a h u g e d.e.c.i.m.a.l

[@briannamaher9797]

Approximately how many freight cars are on that train?

[@TheRrxing]

I think WOW !!! says enough

[@alanjanos652]

Considering the "frame rate" of the video, combined with the "precision" of the position determinations, there's absolutely NO scientific (or mathematical) justification in reporting the speed to five significant figures. Three significant figures could be justified based on the use of the three-figure "conversion factor" mentioned in the reply to "TrainBrain107" below.

[@NickyDsTrains]

Touché. I'm in the process of editing my descriptions to round speeds to three sig figs.

[@SignalMan9292]

I have somehow seen an Intermodal going 75 in the city of DeKalb IL

[@railbug6281]

Nicolas, where did you film this? Great vid and he was screaming fast👍

[@NickyDsTrains]

Railbug62 Railfan Bretz Lane, just northwest out of Duncannon, PA

[@shanedecock2298]

Ok

[@deiseltrainsrock]

That is the average speed for trains that go by my papa’s bakery but besides that Cool catch!

[@buffalo716railran]

I've seen NS 206 on the Lake Erie District go that fast sometimes 22k goes pretty fast too

[@JThom-yh3ef]

No train gates?

[@TrainLover3268]

Engine numbers are 1107, sd60 e 6947, and 8069

[@Avrora707]

I like heavy american trains!

[@railfaninpf]

That looks like about 60mph to me. Before I would put a video on here and claim it's speed, I would get a radar gun and show speed to remove all arguments.

[@FFred-us9tw]

You are correct. NS intermodal speed here is 60MPH.

[@devonbrown6257]

Yes. No NS intermodal train is currently running above 60mph.

[@northernpennrailproduction3373]

Is this the Harrisburg Line?

[@Phantom-Signal]

Ya she was movin!

[@RAILFANNER128]

ME LEADING

[@charliebrooks2570]

Movin fast!

[@nicolasbuzzbuzz1079]

I think the drivers of these trains must be very stressed about meeting a car or a truck stucked in the middle of the tracks. A crash at that speed would be a disaster. Wow. Maybe I m glad not to have chosen a work like this. Wow.

[@THEATREofPAIN270]

Figured out the speed the old fashioned way. Mathematics. Nice 👍

[@mss59707]

Play it 2x speed and it’s even faster

[@TriGogglin]

Very nice, great catch. And u think thats the fastest one I've seen as well.

[@jimwilloughby]

Where was this?

[@TeyNV]

This train is so fast

[@JohnAckerman93]

Norfolk Southern. One line, infinite possibilities

[@mikelowery5741]

What’s the average speed for an Intermodal train?!

[@18436Melissa]

Possibly 40-50 MPH

[@AbelG8781]

Here in west Texas, full speed.

[@FFred-us9tw]

On the NS, it's 60MPH max for Intermodal. That's it, Never higher. The train in this video is going 62MPH at best accounting for speed adjustment. Counting frame rates is not an accurate enough way to calculate the speeds. A properly calculated professional radar or LIDAR gun is the only way to accurately tell these speeds without talking to the crew. Nobody has ever produced a video showing that.

[@northernpennrailproduction3373]

@@FFred-us9tw ive seen a 71mph NS back in the days

[@FFred-us9tw]

@@northernpennrailproduction3373 not sure what your time frame is for “back in the day”. But it certainly wasn’t the last decade. The only place you would ever see an NS freight (or locomotive(s) running above 60 would be on another railroad. NS has a systemwide MAS for intermodal of 60MPH. They also have no trackage rated higher for freight. That’s why nobody has ever produced any proof of it. “Clocking” trains in videos is not accurate nor is pacing in vehicles on nearby roads. Had countless buffs insist they witnessed these occurrences with someone with a radar gun yet miraculously they all forgot the camera that day🤔 Still waiting for someone to produce a video with a radar speed showing one of these freights speeding. Quite a few buffs with radar guns AND cameras over on the NEC. But nobody seems to catch any of these freights.

[@Creeperboy099]

If 60 is fast for a freight train, how fast are they on average? 40?

[@oldgoat142]

Assuming that a line is Class 5 rated, it will allow a freight to travel at up to 80 mph. However, there are also factors to consider such as where a train is passing through, (is it through a town, street running like at La grange, Kentucky), how tight the curves are, the number of crossings it has to go over, weather conditions, etc. It seems to me, and this is strictly my opinion, the average speed of a freight train on any given day is between 30 to 40 mph.

[@floridianrailauto9032]

@@oldgoat142 45-55 is the average in Florida. FEC does 55-65 frequently, on CSX's Sanford Sub it's more around 40-45. If you go very far west to the Wildwood Sub the priority freights do 75 most of the time. Mixed trains on the S-line will do 45 otherwise

[@oldgoat142]

@@floridianrailauto9032 Excellent. Thank you for the information. Always good to learn something new, especially about one of my favorite subjects and activities.

[@FFred-us9tw]

Depends on the railroad and the division. The fastest freight speeds in the country are 70MPH for Intermodal trains. But the vast majority of that territory is the Midwest and points west of there. CSX has some 70MPH territory down south on the line to Fl. NS system wide has a max of 60MPH for Intermodal trains. CSX, BNSF and UP allow up to 70. Mixed freight on most railroads is 30-40. With 55MPH typically being the fastest. But all these maximum authorized speeds (MAS) are dependent on the division the train is on and the cars in the train. Their are a lot of types of cars and loads that require speed restrictions. So don't assume that if you are railfanning a division that (for example) has a 50MPH MAS for mixed freight that every mixed freight train you see is going 50MPH. Weather, track and signal work, traction, etc can all impact speeds.

[@devonbrown6257]

@@FFred-us9tw NO, NS has a max of 70 mph as I saw a intermodal train go by a station.

[@trainsinmanitoba1173]

If track speed here is 60 then it ain’t going any 67 mph they ain’t speeding I can tell ya lol

[@trainzguy2472]

On my local commuter railroad before they installed PTC they used to do 85mph (track speed 80) pretty regularly.

[@trainsinmanitoba1173]

@@trainzguy2472 should be punished without pay for going over track speed

[@AbelG8781]

Exactly. Just because the train looks fast isn't. Ask any engineer what would happen if they throttled it over their max authorized speed lmao

[@northernpennrailproduction3373]

@@trainsinmanitoba1173 he said before PTC

[@mikeswink1031]

125 + cars ?

[@briannamaher9797]

That’s a very long train

[@pauljamieson803]

Wonder what a train traveling at that speed would look like if it derailed while you were standing there filming it???

[@NortheasternP.T.S.]

All I know is that it wouldn’t be good at all

[@pooliramesh4497]

Super

[@floridianrailauto9032]

That has got to be seventy!

[@trainsofminnesota5375]

DM Multimedia I know 70 mph and that's not it, pretty damn close though

[@floridianrailauto9032]

And it just so happens that I chase seventy mile per hour intermodals on US-1. That is DEFINITELY seventy miles per hour.

[@devonbrown6257]

@@floridianrailauto9032 There is NO NS intermodal train running 70mph right now

[@barroningram7286]

I don't think they run freight trains east of the mississippi over 65

[@braytinfriedman1079]

HOTSHOT COMING THRUUUUUUUUUUU

[@bradgarling463]

No red light flashing on the back of the train? Dangerous!!

[@FFred-us9tw]

The flashing red light is photocell controlled. Turns on after dark. No requirement to have it lit during the day.

[@virginiatrains7886]

How. You can clearly see end of the train. The EOT only comes on at night. In the day time you wouldn’t need it

[@kman-mi7su]

I'm surprised there's no DPU in that train.

[@FFred-us9tw]

No need for it. Not that long a train and no major grades on this line.

[@lakewoodslasher6566]

0:32

[@the.porter.productions]

Lakewood Slasher you’re forgetting the buildup by skipping half of the best part

[@Manuqtix.Manuqtix]

You claim its very fast, but what's the speed?

[@WabashAndWesternRails]

When it’s at x2 speed it goin 140 mph

[@NorCaliRailroading2023]

Normal for BNSF

[@vikrad1800]

65Mph

[@FFred-us9tw]

The speed limit is 60 here.

[@happyelephantproductions]

Yo

[@j.m.youngquist419]

Don't blink

[@colinsmith4453]

Looked like 75

[@FFred-us9tw]

The speed here is 60MPH. NS max Intermodal speed system wide is 60MPH.

[@devonbrown6257]

To me, that speed looked like 70.

[@reidselby2569]

Gotta get up there next time and skip Cove.

[@norfolksouthernrailworks1543]

Very very soon, we'll be seeing freight trains just like this one routinely cruising between 90-105 mph. The goal by 2025-2027 is to have developed the proper technology for locomotives of the SD70ACE T4 and the ET44AC T4 to have a top speed similar to the Siemens Charger, of nearly 120 mph. The current SD70ACE T3.5 and ES44AC are more than capable of 85-90 mph, but by law, they are only allowed to go up to 74.9, and 95% of the time, even intermodals go only up to 69.9 or 71 mph. In Europe, the DB electric freight trains can travel up to 95 mph. Our diesels have better motors than they do, but are geared towards torque rather than speed.

[@FFred-us9tw]

Not sure where you are getting your info from, but much of what you said is totally false. Their is absolutely no US goal of having freight travel 90-105 by 2025. In fact, some freight lines are dropping their speeds. Their is absolutely no goal to have freight locomotives reach a top speed of 120. They could attain that speed now with a simple motor change and software reprogramming. Their is absolutely no "law" that says freight locomotives can only go 74.9MPH🤣. Freight locomotive top speed is dictated by what the railroads want and the fastest speeds the tracks they run allow. Most freight cars have restrictions that wont allow speeds much higher than 75 anyhow. Any railroad could order an ET44 tomorrow with a 90MPH top speed, but why would they? Their is no freight equipment rated for it. And nothing that says Intermodals can only go "69.9 or 71 mph" by law. It's a choice by the railroads.

[@bossnaz7845]

@@FFred-us9tw From my understanding of diesel engines they are governed to 74 mph, and could actually attain the speeds of 120-130 with power fully distributed 60% is only applied, 40% is restricted, if you disengage the overspeed a safety device that prevents the train from going over a certain speed, an engine can easily reach speeds over 100 mph, 70 mph is said to be the maximum speed for freight because of the weight of an freight engine, in difference to a passenger engine which is usually lighter!

[@FFred-us9tw]

@@bossnaz7845 That actually has nothing to do with it. The overspeed governor doesn't limit the locomotives power output. It simply cuts the power off and applies the brakes to protect the traction motors and in turn, the MAS (Max Authorized Speed) on many Class 1's. The traction control system (AKA: Wheel Slip Control) on modern locomotives will limit power to each axle if it detects the wheels slipping, the same way ABS on a car limits braking when it detects slipping. Wheel slip is the single biggest limiting factor in the HP ratings on locomotives. Take as an example the GE EVO series. They have cranked out 4,400 out of a V12. They could easily get 5,000+ out of a V16. So why don't they? Because HP means nothing if you can't get that power to the rail. The technology does not exist at this time with the weight limits of locomotives to get the tractive and starting effort any higher than it is. It's like putting a 1,000 supercharged engine in a honda civic with stock tires. What good is 1,000 HP if when you can't get any traction and just spin the tires when you floor it? The MAS of a diesel locomotive is governed due to gear ratios. Freight locomotives are designed to pull heavy trains and even more important, get them started. Because of this they are geared (pinion gear on traction motor and axle gear) for tractive effort and starting force. Much like switching to low gear on a truck when getting started for added torque. Because of this; motors have RPM ratings. If you kept power applied on a motor geared for 70MPH MAS as speed increased the motor armature would swell and ultimately come apart destroying the motor and potentially locking the axle. Either way, major damage. So that's why you see MAS ratings on loco's. It's also why you may see NS loco's with 70MPH MAS despite NS not allowing speeds on their RR above 60, their loco's can still end up on other railroads who do run 70. Passenger loco's don't need the starting force and tractive effort freight locomotives do. Most passenger trains are not that heavy and acceleration and speed are more important. So they are instead geared for speed rather then overall pulling force. So sure, BNSF could order a 6 axle EMD or GE rated for 110MPH. The locomotive's diesel engine RPM and power output would remain unchanged. The gearing would be what allowed the increase in speed. Not anything you are doing with internal power output. However with such a gearing change the locomotive would drastically lose it's starting effort and overall tractive effort as a compromise for the higher speed. Freight railroads are happy with 60-70 as an MAS for intermodal. It's plenty fast and keeps wear and tear on everything much lower than going 80-90 would. Curves take a beating when 10,000+ tons ride into them at high speeds. It's why NS prefers 60MPH to limit wear even more. It's also why you never see passenger railroads even considering 6 axle power. More maintenance and more wear is not something railroads that are more concerned with speed want to deal with.

[@bossnaz7845]

@@FFred-us9tw No the overspeed doesn't limit the power, it activates the brakes once an engine exceeds 73 mph, but the power is not fully distributed towards speed as it is pulling.

[@FFred-us9tw]

@@bossnaz7845 Read my first paragraph above again. I never said the Overspeed limits the power. You did. I said when a locomotive hits the overspeed limit, which varies by locomotive (GS ES series are mostly rated for 75, EMD's 70) the locomotive PCS opens and the locomotive drops it's power and the it goes into a Penalty application of the brakes. As for the power "not fully distributed towards speed as it's pulling", of course it's not. If it was the wheels would spin freely and you'd never start moving. The traction control systems in these locomotives are designed to only apply as much power as adhesion allows. If the wheels get good traction and hold it you will get the max power for that throttle position. But if you go straight to Notch 8 from a standstill on a heavy train you are will never get the full HP the locomotive is rated for. That's not how they work.

[@jul1440]

Looks like 69 MPH; the 79 MPH videos look slightly faster than this. Edit: Stupid me... I didn't see the description.

[@FFred-us9tw]

The speed on this division (and on ALL NS trackage) is 60 MPH max for intermodal. You will not see any NS intermodal trains going above 60 MPH on NS tracks. Don't listen to the buffs who insist through some sort of flawed logic that they are going faster.

[@jul1440]

@@FFred-us9tw Do they use speed control? If not, it is conceivable that they could be going a few mph over. I was pretty close just by using the ol' peepers to measure this train's speed, but that is not very remarkable at all given that I used to live in Mentmore, USA with a Class V ATSF trunk in my backyard (79 MPH IMs/coal units and 89 MPH Southwest Chief leaving downtown Gallup).

[@FFred-us9tw]

@@jul1440 this whole line has PTC. So yes. And the speeds you are talking about with intermodal and coal running at 79 was 30 years ago.

[@jre617]

No zooming please. It's distracting. The train looks slower with long focal lengths, though it can be an interesting view in the distance. Suggest cutting from long to normal FL.

[@ejdsndnj]

Every railfan zooms out, so not even one single railfan is not listening to you, they are still gonna zoom out.

[@Goose-sp3zk]

yeah, i'd like to see a big bad bear stand in the way of that thing

[@ejdsndnj]

A SD70ACE would rip the bear apart at 65MP.

[@67stingray1]

Faassstttt

[@sammypomo258]

Not that fast

[@TheHeartOfTheOceanSong]

#NicholasLD YOU CANNOT BE THAT CLOSE TO THE TRAIN!! RAILROAD EMPLOYEES FIND IT ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KNOCKED OVER BY THAT TRAIN!! THIS IS THE REAL POLICY BY ALL RAILROADS STAND BACK AT LEAST 10 OR 30 FEET TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT OR ANY INJURIES. DO NOT STAND ON THE GRAVEL EITHER. MAKE SURE YOU ARE A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE TRAIN AT ALL TIMES AND DO NOT FILM THAT CLOSE TO RAILROAD PROPERTY

[@waynenephew4515]

Must be running late or crew members just getting off late