What is fast freight?

I can only speak from my experiences.... when classed as  Express freight  the speed of the train could exceed  a regular  freight track  speed  by 5 miles per  but not exceed passenger speed.  Power  was probably the same as a regular freight train.

Not sure if that's what you had in mind.

Lets take BNSF for some examples:

1) Intermodel, i.e. "fast freight" if you will, has maximum allowed speeds of 70 MPH.

2) Manifest freight trains, i.e. no intermodel, just regular heavy freight cars of say, lumber cars, tank cars, box cars, and empty cars is usually limited to either 60 MPH, or 50 MPH if the train contains empty bulk-head flat cars.

3) Passenger trains, i.e. Amtrak and or Business car Specials are allowed a maximum speed of 79 MPH in non-cab signal/ATC territory. In cab signal/ATC territory Amtrak is allowed 108 MPH (going by memory on this one).

4) Unit "heavy haul" freight trains, such as coal, grain, or chemicals, are all limited to 50 MPH maximum. BNSF recently dropped the allowable speeds through populated areas, to 45 on the unit oil trains from the Dakota oil fields.

i think its just an accronism for advertising service on a rail road..after all who would ship on a railroad that advertised THE ROUTE OF SLOW SPEED SERVICE !!  john

Hot Water is right on the money.

Until 1920, most freights were "drag freights." The B&LE 2-10-4 discussed on the Forum recently is a good example of a "drag freight" locomotive. Railroads coupled as many cars as possible in a train and send it to its destination. Here on the anthracite roads, the ultimate "drag freight" locomotives were immense 2-8-0's on the Reading, the D&H, and the Lehigh & New England. None was saved, but they were about 20% larger than No. 734 on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad between Cumberland and Frostburg, MD.

The Boston & Albany and Erie broke the mold with Lima "Super Power" 2-8-4's designed for horsepower at speed. Trains had to be shorter but they ran faster.

These designs culminated in the magnificent C&O 2-10-4's. Their blueprints were condensed for the renowned Nickel Plate Berkshires and their sisters. The C&O 2-6-6-6 Alleghenies were designed to be more powerful than a N&W 2-6-6-4. But that came with an enormous increase in locomotive weight. The first series were heavier than UP Big Boys, though they had with two less driving axles.

Look at Reading T-1 No. 2124 at Steamtown, No. 2101 in the B&O Museum at Baltimore, or No. 2100 being restored at Cleveland and imagine that Wootten firebox and the first two boiler courses on an I-10sa 2-8-0.

As the economy picked up in the "Roaring '20's," "drag freights" were too slow. Railroads designed faster locomotives for faster schedules for prompt deliveries to customers. The Reading rebuilt 11 plodding 2-8-8-2's as K-1 2-10-2's (America's largest). The N&W built 1200 series 2-6-6-4's. In the West, the SP and UP took delivery of 3-cylinder 4-10-2's. UP expanded the concept to 88 4-12-2's. Then the UP designed Challengers to eliminate the hard-to-service center cylinder, valve gear, main rod and cranked driving axle.

New York Central "Pacemakers" and B&O "Sentinel Service" were "fast freights," too.

Track conditions also come into play Nor every main line is 70 per  plus,  Most are probably slower.

The yard where i work in cleveo has three receiving tracks called the fast freight tracks speed limit 10 mph. Its just a slogan. every RR would want to be known as the fast freight route...or not ?.... 

No other knowledgeable WM fans on here? Disappointing...
The WM not only advertised it, they lived it, in 1952, 17 fast freight trains made expedited connections at each end of the system. These trains had rigidly maintained schedules that were coordinated with WM's connecting RRs. 1 such train had a running time of 32 hours between Philadelphia and Chicago using the Reading, WM, P&WV, and Nickel Plate.
Of course, this was before Interstate highways, "just-in-time" truck deliveries, and today's RRs such as CSX, with their "we'll get it there eventually" attitude.

2) Manifest freight trains, i.e. no intermodel, just regular heavy freight cars of say, lumber cars, tank cars, box cars, and empty cars is usually limited to either 60 MPH, or 50 MPH if the train contains empty bulk-head flat cars.

  HW  .. why do you think empty bulk -head flat cars are restricted? They weren't when I was working but things change over times. Rocking back and forth? I know a train of them was like pulling sail boats  and could really slow down a train in windy conditions.

They may not have had a restricted speed in Canada, but they sure did, and still do, here in the U.S.. 

I'm not doubting they were restricted but wondering why?

Probably related to L over V ratios, i.e. the Lateral (side) forces could be greater than the Vertical down force, and thus on slight curves might derail.  

3) Passenger trains, i.e. Amtrak and or Business car Specials are allowed a maximum speed of 79 MPH in non-cab signal/ATC territory. In cab signal/ATC territory Amtrak is allowed 108 MPH (going by memory on this one)

It used to be 109, ISTR.  Actually, on the NE Corridor, they attain 125+ mph.  Generally, on the fastest segments between NYC and Boston, the highest I ever clocked them while riding with my GPS unit was 120.  Amtrak advertising claims that they have trains "capable" of doing 150.  They also probably have trains "capable" of arriving less than 12 hours late, too, but they somehow forget to include any self-effacing words in their hyperbole.

It's not stability as much as it's fuel.  As Gregg pointed out, there is a lot of resistance and turbulence created by the bulkheads and the flat decks.  They require more power to make speed than other types of freight cars.

However, as to stability, all empty freight cars are subject to truck hunting, if there is uneven wear among the wheels of a given truck (as is the case more often than not).  If the truck has any tendency to hunt, this becomes substantially more severe at speeds of 60 MPH and higher, and wheel lift can result. Wheel lift can cause a derailment, as keeping the wheel on the rail and the flange on the inside of the rail is an absolute requirement for safe tracking.  Empty bulkhead flats would be among the worst cars to experience truck hunting, as their very light weight and the air turbulence at high speeds would make them less susceptible to resisting severe hunting and wheel lift than boxcars or hoppers.

Good conversation.  I'm surprised there's not a clearly defined official railroad definition of fast freight.  I found this on wikipedia: A drag freight is a slow, high-tonnage railroad train, often carrying commodities such as coal or ore. Compared to "fast freight" trains, drag freight trains have a very low power-to-weight ratio, making them somewhat unpredictable on steep grades or hilly routes. This causes many dispatchers to be extremely conservative with how they handle drag freights, especially when they share lines with higher priority fast freights and passenger trains.

Simply- what was fast freight during the active service years of the locos most of us run on our layouts?  What was considered "fast freight" in the early 1900's?  We're all taking guesses, but I've never seen it explained via authoritative source.  When I read sales literature associated with O gauge locos we all know and love- Pacifics, Hudsons, Northerns, Berkshires, Mountains- it almost always mention passenger service and "fast freight" service

I thought I gave a simply factual response in my post regarding the term as practiced by the Western Maryland. Most of the info came from the May, 1952 issue of Modern Railroads magazine, which was a fairly authoritative source for the RR industry.  Fast freight simply meant expedited freight, which before interstate highways was the way time sensitive items got to customers. I guess this is not easy for persons brought up on smartphones,internet, and Amazon to grasp, and that's too bad. 

Not sure if this qualifies for fast freight or not.

Back when the Reading Lines was still in business they had what was called "Bee Line Service." It was usually from 5 to 25 freight cars being dispatched with an SD-45 or FM Trainmaster and a caboose, and serviced some of the cement or chemical plants along the Reading Railroad. Reading PA to Hamburg PA was one line that saw some of the "Bee Line Service."

Lee Fritz

quote:

or 50 MPH if the train contains empty bulk-head flat cars.

For a very long time empty bulkhead flats have been restricted to 45mph around here. Surprisingly (or maybe not) none of the officials I asked ever knew why!

What was considered "fast freight" in the early 1900's?  We're all taking guesses,

Yep just guessing but here goes.... Live stock, always marshalled at the head end of the train. Perishable goods  that had to be kept at a certain temperature (ice or charcoal reefers). Probably everything you bought at the loco hardware store. It was common for  trains to set off & lift  cars at  the loco freight sheds.  Autos  & parts .  Milk... The Lionel milk platform was modeled after something. Mail, although passenger trains handled most of it.  Farm equipment... Mining equipment , Newspaper, We had a daily train of newspaper  out of northern Ontario going  to the New York times and other newspapers.   ..

Not so fast freight... Grain, ore, coal.  Lumber

Very interesting post,looking at some the Pro's comments here makes me ask the question.

Who set the speed on the trains. Dispatch? Was it up to the engineer to review the train and double check there rosters, track conditions? Can the engineer refuse to maintain that speed if he has a concern?

Jamie