Norfolk Southern Dash-8’s Bounce Through Town!

5 Engine freight crosses 11 crossings with horns blaring at each one!

Located in downtown Lebanon, Pennsylvania, this part of the Norfolk Southern Harrisburg Line gets plenty of freight action.

With 11 crossings, the engineer is blowing the horn constantly!

Thank goodness for the leaf springs mounted on each truck of the locomotive, otherwise the engineers would have to wear helmets! The weight of the locomotive rests on the leaf springs mounted to the trucks, which compress when the locomotive passes over a bump. This acts as a shock absorber for the locomotive.

There are also links attached to the same base plate as the leaf springs on each truck which allow the engine to move laterally with the variations in the track.

Without this cushioning, the ride would be very wild for the engineers!

These 5 Norfolk Southern Dash 8-40C locomotives weigh about 400,000 pounds each and need all of cushioning they can get!

Let us know if you live near a busy freight line and if you constantly hear the horns going off! Music to the ears of a true railfan!