Railroad Forums 

Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

Moderator: Liquidcamphor

 #1475031  by PlaneLoverA380
 
I saw this YouTube video of a doubleheader DE30 carrying 3 cars, and another engine! An engine per car? What kind of overkill is this!?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=peoe4_FCRy0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1475115  by PlaneLoverA380
 
Sooooo... can I catch this while railfanning? Like, does this happen regularly through Mineola? Or is it random? I don't have access to a scanner. Only a superzoom camera.
 #1475152  by MACTRAXX
 
PL: This was likely a equipment move combined with an at-times cab car shortage. I have never
seen three DE30s run this way myself. Keep in mind this video is almost 10 years old (9/7/2008).

From what has been posted elsewhere on the LIRR Forum there is sometimes a shortage of C3 cab
cars - if there are sufficient DE30 units available a train will be put together of two or three C3 cars
with two locomotives if necessary - a recent Greenport Scoot had a doubleheaded two car set.
I have heard of (but not seen myself) a doubleheaded single car used in Greenport Scoot service.

Equipment use like this is unpredictable - it depends when equipment shortages develop.

Over time the Greenport Scoot is one of the best examples and places to see short C3 consists.
The usual Scoot consist equipment is assigned for a period of one week and is changed out each
Friday. On Friday afternoons there are two consists in service - the one that will spend the next
week on the line is deadheaded east during the afternoon to Ronkonkoma and makes the extra
round trip to Greenport. At a point on Friday evening both trainsets sit side by side in Greenport.
The set being replaced makes the through express Ronkonkoma-Jamaica run late evening.

MACTRAXX
 #1475216  by PlaneLoverA380
 
Does anyone have pics of a DE/DM doubleheader?