What ever happened to the APC Containers that roamed the rails in the 90s?
By videos on YouTube I never see these things anymore, when we hit the 2000s.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Just Googled APC containers and came up with the following:
APC is an international moving outfit based in New Brunswick. Apparently, they specialize in household goods and personal property shipments, moved by sea, air and road transportation. I note that rail transportation seems to have been deliberately excluded. As far as why, I have an opinion, but no supporting facts, so I won't add it.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with JNR containers)
Company still in business Company history: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/34/APL-Limited.html
Merged with NOL (Neptune Orient Lines) in 1997.
According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_President_Lines the stacktrain franches were sold to Pacer in 1999.
They apparently still operate container terminals and ships but no longer own containers.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
That's American President Lines. (http://www.apl.com/wps/portal/apl)
Not sure were the "C" came from.
Sean
HO Scale CSX Modeler
According to APL's website, it still has containers. The satellite photograph of its LA terminal shows many APL containers. Since APL exited the domestic business, there are probably significantly less and they are probably only on a few routes now.
According to an article on the University of Virginia's website, in 1995 APL starting emphasizing all modes of transport. "APC refined its corporate mission to give all transport modes equal status: 'American President Companies, Ltd. provides container transportation and related services in Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East through an intermodal system combining ocean, rail and truck transportation.... Our vision is to be one of the very best containerized surface transportation companies in the world.'" Perhaps they decided to change from APL to APC on the containers because of this and when they sold the domestic business went back to APL.
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
American President Companies, Ltd http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/0/AMERICAN-PRESIDENT-COMPANIES-LTD.html
American President Lines is (or was) a subsiduary of APC.
The various histories on the net are confusing and hard to tell what is up to date.
Apparently the answer to the OP's question is that starting in 1999 the company changed its business model to widen the scope of its cargo transportation operations, which previously had centered on its own dedicated container operations, to overall coordination of cargo transportation and sold its dedicated train operations.
Before 1999, APL was the international container line, and its associated APC provided domestic (45' and 48') containers.
After 1999, the domestic APC operation was sold to Pacer and is now operating as Pacer StackTrain. The APC containers are all gone from service now that Pacer uses 53' containers exclusively.