According to an FRA inspector who used to give clinics to our local NMRA division, there are FRA restrictions in coupling a pipe load on a flat next to a tank car, because a shifting load could puncture the tank, unless it is a bulkhead flat. Ditto for pipes or rods or other loads of that kind on a gondola where the load is higher than the end of the gon. Sometimes you see gons with improvised bulkhead ends that go higher so that the load is protected against shifting in that way. You also see some gons with permanent ends that are higher than the sides of the car presumably for that some purpose and reason.
In spite of that FRA restriction I have taken photos of unprotected open loads next to tank cars that have hazmat placards. I also have taken photos of loads that have shifted in just the way the FRA is concerned about.
Dave Nelson
A lot of it depends on diameter.
When I worked in Texas all the drill pipe (4-6" dia) came in gons and all the big pipeline pipe (18"-48" dia) came on flats. Virtually all the gons came from railroads in the NE.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I use gondolas for hauling pipes and other lose items such as freight car parts and alike...
Mike,Thanks for posting the video..When I was at the hobby shop this morning I picked up some Evergreen .047" round tubing to emulate that load.
I picked up several strips of scale 2x2s and Evergreen Plastic tubes and beams. I bought the last two Atlas/Trainman Bulkhead flat cars he had in stock and a IHB gon. The gon was a last minute impulse buy. Glad I bought though.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIEActually a large heavy duty forklift can unload pipes from a gon.
Yep!
Mike.
My You Tube
Little TimmyOverhead crane ? Load them in a Gondola.
Actually a large heavy duty forklift can unload pipes from a gon.
For 80' pipes a 89' flat car would be used.
Another consideration would be length of the pipe. 80 foot lenths of pipe do not fit in gondolas unless you use drop end gondolas and put the load accross both cars . I am not sure if the railroads would favor that over putting them on an 89 foot flat car.
It depend's on how their going to be unloaded at the destination.
Forklift ? Load them on a flatcar.
Overhead crane ? Load them in a Gondola. Plus , in a gon they dont need to be tied down, just strapped to each other to keep the pipe's from shifting in transit.
Rust...... It's a good thing !
I've seen a lot more gondolas with pipe loads than I have seen flat cars with pipes.
Must be the car of choice, or the handiest car availiable.
Hello all,
On Friday I was driving to the Greely Freight Station Museum for "Extreme Trains" day.
Because there was a wreck on I-25 I decided to take the "senic" route via SR 85. The route parallels the train tracks.
As I was driving north I noticed a bone-yard of an irrigation company. Nothing out of the ordinary- -pumps, valves and lots of pipes.
What caught my eye was the banded loads of pipes were loaded not on flatcars but on gondolas.
Typically I see pipe-loads on flatcars or bulkhead flatcars with tie-downs to the deck.
It got me wondering why the gondolas vs. flatcars?
The loads in the gondolas were banded together but I didn't see any tie-downs.
Any thoughts???
Thanks for your input!
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"