From a real world viewpoint - I have always featured CSX has been pennywise and dollar foolish in not equipping all road power with ditch lights on both ends. I don't know what a ditch light installation costs, however, decreasing the effectiveness of a $3M piece of capital investment, the cost of ditch lights is a pittance. In the 'wayback machine' when I was a Asst. Trainmaster I ended up riding the Chessie Systems train the Detroiter - nominally empty autoparts cars from the East back to multiple Michigan factories. This day the train had ONE SD-40 leaving New Castle with about 130 cars - don't recall the tonnage - New Castle to Akron maximum speed was 24 MPH - but it easily walked the train down and back up the Akron Jct. grade. I detrained at Akron, so I can't comment about performance from Akron to Willard and beyond. Note to all - the 'flatlands' aren't all that flat - the grade may be measured in tenths of a percent - but there is movement and it all affect train handling and slack control.
