Do freight trains stop

Answer 1

Yes, first in the most obvious way a freight train is stopped while the cars are being loaded/unloaded. While the train is being built however the train is moving back and forth in the freight yard picking up the appropriate cars. Then once again the train is stopped while waiting to depart from the yard. On the trains journey it can stop for several reasons here are a few:

1> A freight train might stop for approval to cross a bridge such as the one E of downtown Minneapolis

2> It also stops on what is called a siding, this is where the train moves onto a secondary set of tracks allowing a higher priority train to pass on the mainline this stop can be for as little as five minutes or I ve been on trains that stop for up to an hour at a siding.

3> Trains stop to do crew changes, where the conductor and or helpers do a shift change this can take as little as ten minutes or in some cases up to 30 min.

4> The train can stop to drop cars at a siding for another train to come by later and pick up or at a train yard for delivery.

5> It can stop to do a block switch, this is where the unit or engine of a train is switched

6> If the freight in which a train is hauling requires refrigeration it can stop in order to have a worker add more refrigerant to the refrigerated containers.

7> If there is suspicion that there are unwanted riders on the train it will stop in the yard for a thorough inspection of the cars, there are also scheduled routine inspection stops such as right outside of glacier park.

I m sure there are many other reasons why a train would stop, but as a train hopper those are the ones that I have noticed the most. Hope I was a help!