How Much Does A Train Weigh? Freight, Engine, Locomotive, Car

How Much Does A Train Weigh


A train can weigh anywhere from 4,000 tons (8,818,490 lbs) to 20,000 tons (44,092,452 lbs) or even more under some particular instances.


I am sure you have noticed the extremes of the above mentioned range. How heavy a train is relates to mainly how many cars the locomotive is pulling.

Scroll down for the detailed answer

How Much Does A Train Car Weigh


A train car weighs between 30-80 tons. Passenger cars like sleepers & coaches are heavier than an empty freight car.


A train consists of locomotives and cars. In some situations there can be up to 6-8 locomotives for one train, depending on the load and number of cars.


A train made out of 4 locomotives GE ES44AC, and 140 empty grain hopper cars would weigh about 5,188 tons or about 11,500,000 lbs.

Where one GE ES44AC locomotive weights approximately 212 tons (468,000 lbs) and one empty grain hopper car about 31 tons (68,380 lbs).


The newer grain hopper cars can haul up to 100 tons (220,000 lbs) of wheat fully loaded, almost the same as for the coal cars, which would translate to approximately 130 tons (286,600 lbs) per car

So How Much Does A Freight Train Weigh

how much does a train weigh
Old trains have personality, thy have character and there is nothing like the sound of them!

For example an average grain pulling train train would weigh approximately 19,188 tons (42,328,754 lbs).

Of that weight 848 tons (1,869,519 lbs) would be the total weight of the locomotives and 18,340 tons (40,432,778 lbs) the total weight of the loaded grain hopper cars.

How Much Does A Train Engine/Locomotive Weigh

The average locomotive weights around 210-220 tons (465,000 – 480,000 lbs). Of course there are many types/models each with different weight, so let’s look at some examples.

Above we mentioned that the GE ES44AC weighs 212 tons. But how much does the AC6000CW weigh? Answer between 212-216 tons.

What about the GE C44-9W engine? Answer: GE C44-9W weight about 198 tons.

You probably noticed a pattern, where most of the GE freight locomotives weigh around 200 tons, so you’re probably asking which are the lightest locomotives out there?

What Are The Lightest Trains & How Much Do They Way

Generally speaking the lightest trains are passenger trains. They are light as they are kind of thin walled structures ready to transport people. They are also around 10-25 cars long, which is tiny compared to commodity transporting trains.

A passenger car when empty weighs between 68-72 tons and loaded not too much heavier. Since carrying around 60 people, averaging 200lbs each (baggage included) would translate into 12,000 lbs or 5.5 tons.

This is a huge difference compared to a carload of wheat that can weight up to 100 tons.


As an example, AmTrak’s P32AC-DM weighs 274,400 lbs or approximately 124 tons. One Superliner Coach II car weighs 151,235 pounds (68 tons), the Superliner Sleeper II weighs 160,275 which is 72 tons.

How Much Does A Passenger Train Weigh

how much does a train weigh
Amtrak Virginia operates every hour between Washington D.C & Richmond, Va.

Following on from the above mentioned specifications. Assuming that the train has two locomotives and 14 cars, out of which half are Superliner Sleepers II (7 cars) and half Superliner Coach II(7). We reach the total weight of 1,228 tons empty and 1278 tons loaded with, 420 passenger in 7 Superliner Coach II and 140 passengers in Superliner Sleeper II.

Of course we can add or subtract cars/locomotives, this should give you a general idea of how much a train weighs.

How Much Does A Passenger Locomotive/Engine Weigh

As mentioned above, the Siemens P32AC-DM weighs 124 tons (274,400 lbs), the EMD F40PH used for passenger short-hauls routes by AmTrak weighs 117-127 tons, Siemens Charger weighs 120 lbs.

So a locomotive/engine used to haul passenger cars weighs between 115-125 tons.

Conclusion

How much does a train weigh? Trains vary in weight from the smallest function train set in the world HERE to the Heaviest Train In The World HERE

How Much Horsepower Does A Train Have, Click HERE to find out.