Transload facilities

[cpcolin]

Has anybody ever modeled a lumber transload facility? I cannot get a really close look at one because they seem to be buried deep in industrial parks. Are there any special pieces of equipment at these places? Could I get away with a small office/warehouse and a few forklifts and of course lumber?
Thanks

[Anonymous]

I used to work in a transload facility in St Paul Minnesota. We ran 6 5000 lb lifts and two 15,000 lb forklifts. The 5000 lb forklifts were for unloading box cars and pulling orders for customers. The two 15,000 lb forks were used for unloading flat cars they could unload 5 bunks of 2x4's at a time or 3 20' bunks of 2x 6's We operated two turn outs serviced by the MInnesota Comercial railway. All forklifts were used to load and unload trucks. I hope this answered some questions.

[cpcolin]

Schmux1, question about the forklifts, the weight ratings you gave is that the weight of the forklift or the capacity (load) of the forklift?

[mandelswamp]

Can anyone describe the Newport, VT WoodpulpTransloader, PMI Lumber Transfer, Inc. that is serviced by either Candian Pacific (CP) or Montreal, Maine, and Atlantic (MMA)? Since it is woodpulp, would it be different then the lumber transloading described above?

[chiefherrick]

I worked at a lumber transload several years ago. This facility consisted of two parallel sidings each holding approximately ten cars (60' bulkhead flats or opear windows). We worked on a gravel base throughout the yard using six large forklifts. We also unloaded boxcars carrying pre-cuts (92 5/8" 2x4's) and finished pine. The large forklifts lifted the smaller lifts into the cars which transfered the stacks to the door opening where large lifts would take the lumber to storage. The storage yard was extensive with over 150 cars of lumber stored in lots based on car number. We reloaded approximately forty trailer trucks each day (seven day per week operation). The trucks were loaded in the lane area which ran down the middle of the storage yard. A small yard office (T1-11 siding, asphalt shingle roof, approx. 15 x 15) was used for records and warmth in the winter.

[jimrice4449]

The transload facilities described so far are at theconsumer end of the trip. They're also found at the originating end. For instance...I once worked on a BN local that ran from Wa state into Canada and out again. There were three transload facilities on it that ran the gamit. One just inside Canada had a large warehouse type building where plywood and similar products were loaded from the mill (at some remote location) and transshipped into box cara. There was another track where bulkhead flats were loaded with dimensional lumber. The most elaborate reload yard had an office and two trackd tracks, one for flat car loading and one for wood chipc. Wood chip trucks would dump their trailers at a big tilt unloader and the chips would then move to an overhead hopper where the were unload into wood chip cars which were positioned by cables. The simplest facility was simply a siding about 8 cars long in Grand Forks BC that was only used intermmitemtly. When in use it was good for three or four cars a day. It consisted of two switches and a lemgth of track with no discernable improvements at all. Talk about an easy to model industry!

[Anonymous]

Attn: CPCOLIN that is the lift capacity

[JoeUmp]

Attn: CPCOLIN, I used to work in a warehouse that supplied forklift parts to the dealers and their customers. Caterpillar used to make lifts rated to 40, 000 pounds for warehouses and over that for construction work. If you are modeling a large facility then a V40 should be more than enough lift capacityto unload any flatcar. Nothing larger than a 10,000lb lift truck should be used to unload boxcars simplly due to their physical size. There are also various stand up lift trucks rated to 7,000lb for use in tight confines.