Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertSmalls
Nope, a freight train probably couldn't move more than a few feet on one gallon. Their ridiculous claim of one ton, one gal, 436 mi is based on the factual 436 ton-miles per gallon figure, which requires that you have tens of thousands of tons of freight all going from one point on the rail network to another.
Trains have an advantage over trucks (which are in the 100-200tmpg range) due in part to the very low coefficient of rolling resistance of steel wheels on steel rails. The aerodynamics of trains is also interesting in that each train car is drafting the one in front of it.
Anyway, trains have a lot going for them, but moving one ton of freight 436 miles is something they are terrible at. For that particular task, your best bet is a small pickup truck, or maybe a Jetta or a Prius with a trailer.
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It's all in the semantics. The 436 ton-miles per gallon is an average for the entire fleet, from 10,000 ton trains to switch engines, unloaded engine ferrying, yard hostlers and the like. The 10,000 ton trains get better; switch engines get worse. Better yet, that's 436 ton-miles of FREIGHT, with all of the other equipment already factored in.
FactCheck.org: Can a freight train really move a ton of freight 436 miles on a gallon of fuel?
The tagline isn't strictly accurate, but
on average, they move 436 tons of freight one mile, or 1 ton 436 miles, for each gallon of diesel burned.