At slow speeds and within city limits? Absolutely. It takes a lot of torque to handle that much mass at those stop and go spots. On the open track they feather back to one, as it doesn't take much to maintain momentum once you're already traveling at speed. 
Furthermore, if you're concerned about gas used, do the math on how many semi's it would take to transport that same amount of material, and what that would look like exactly during the crowded summer months.
Lastly, if you think the amount of freight on the railroad hasn't drawn down significantly, you're either new here or haven't been paying attention. Back when the coal mine was running, there was easily double the amount of traffic on that section of track daily.