Norfolk Southern C40-9W No. 9625 leads westbound loaded rail train 917 at the NS Bristol Yard at Bristol, Va., on the NS Pulaski District on June 23, 2011.
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Jonathan McCoy
Question: How many slots of rail can a Norfolk Southern rail train hold and how many cars normally make up a rail train? — Jake Gleghorn, Suwannee, Ga.
Answer: Norfolk Southern has 16 rail trains either built new or inherited from predecessors Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western. Each carries 1,440-foot strings of rail which are anchored in the middle of the train and slide on rollers on each car as the train negotiates curves. The trains range from 24-car trains carrying 48 strings of rail to 33-car trains carrying 54 strings of rail. — Tyler Trahan, a Trains contributor
