Thanks in part to these technologies, U.S. freight railroads can, on average, move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles per gallon of fuel, making rail the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land.
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Railroads are the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land, moving one ton of freight nearly 500 miles per gallon of fuel, on average.
10000+ kilometers, if the train consists of a standard US freight locomotive pulling one car. Can cover more than 1500 km a day, and can keep going for more than a week.
Loading of coal and water and incidental maintenance takes a steam locomotive about 1 hour. A diesel engine can be fueled from a pump in 10 minutes or so.
That should not happen, but if it does, engines are sent from the nearest terminal to pull the train to where it can be refueled, assuming it is not in a place where a fuel truck could reach it.
The locomotive connects the bogies well above the center line of the loco wheel. When the loco pulls the frictional force (rolling) times the bogies total weight makes the rear wheels of loco to exert more vertical force (due to moment arm) and this adds up to the loco dead weight.
A train engine requires about a hundred litres of fuel to get it started. So it wouldn't be economical if the engine is stopped and started frequently. This apart, if the engine is stopped, the moving parts' lubrication will also come to a halt.