A specialized unit train operation designed for bulk commodities like coal. The train runs in a continuous circuit between a mine and a power plant, using balloon loops at both ends. It creeps through loading and unloading facilities at a very slow, controlled speed, dropping its payload without ever uncoupling or coming to a halt.
The merry-go-round train takes about three hours to complete the circuit from the tipple to the power station and back.
Also heard as
- MGR
Related terms
Unit train
A train carrying a single commodity in identical cars from one origin to one destination.
Hopper car
A freight car designed for bulk commodities that unloads through doors in its floor.
Slow speed control
An electronic system that allows a locomotive to maintain a precise, creeping pace.
Tipple
A facility where loaded freight cars are emptied by physically tilting or turning them.