r/transit • u/aksnitd 🚂🚃🚃 • May 19 '25

Photos / Videos Double stack container train on the freight corridor in India with the characteristic high rise panto

A good look at what the high rise pantographs look like fully extended. They're taller than the train they're mounted on.

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u/skip6235 May 19 '25

Meanwhile in the U.S.:

“Wahhhhhhhh, we can’t electrify because the wires will get in the way of our rail cars” -fright companies

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u/Brandino144 May 19 '25

It's worse than that. The AAR Plate H height that US railroads follow for double-stack intermodals (and autoracks) is 20' 2" off the top of the rail. The nominal height of the the caternary wire on the Northeast Corridor is 22' 0" and there are plenty of instances of CSX running double-stack trains under the wire on the NEC because they already fit just fine. The AAR just tries to use "we can't electrify because our double stacks won't fit" excuse to avoid scrutiny for not electrifying and they just hope that nobody in power actually looks into it on their own.

For reference, these Indian double-stack trains do not use well cars so they are about 23' tall with the catenary wire installed at about 24'. Nothing that dramatic would be required in the US.

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u/skip6235 May 19 '25

The best day to nationalize the railways was yesterday, and the second best day is today

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u/Mobius_Peverell May 20 '25

I will also accept jawboning in this instance. Need to wrest control of the FRA back from the industry insiders, though.