chutton01 wrote:I'm sure there have been bigger groups of stashed rolling stock stored for longer periods, but in 1988 the LIRR order a large number of intermodal 'bogies' (This site has lots of images to provide TOFC service on it's restricted clearance lines - they didn't use them for very long (a few years), and eventually after parking them here and there, left them on an unused track on the Montauk cut-off (near Long Island City) for over 15 years (last images on that site) - I think I read that some of the LIC cut has been moved, not sure where or why.
Those "bogies" are pretty cool looking, kind of like a first attempt at making a roadrailer type pig train. I wonder if anyone has attempted to model these?
TONY
"If we never take the time, how can we ever have the time." - Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)
I'm sure many of us remember the boxcar boom of the late 70's early 80's... Lots of tiny shortlines leased out hundreds of boxcars because they could collect substantial per diem fees as long as they weren't on home rails. Then the rules changed, and many of these lines found themselves with more rolling stock than they had track to store it.
I recall reading somewhere that the longest train ever handled by the Maryland and Pennsylvania was the result of all those "chickens" coming home to roost...
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
riogrande5761 wrote:My guess is that they are stored because of a down turn in the economy. When things are slow, cars are stored and if/when they pick up, they will be pulled out again.
Some times but, let's take a closer look shall we? Domestic intermodal shipments is up while international intermodal loadings are still declining.
http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/CA6585320.html
Shocking is the number of boxcars being handled.
Week ending 08/15/08 NS handled 22,442 boxcars vs.7,416 Intermodal cars!!
During the same week CSX handled 23,085 boxcars vs.6,225 Intermodal cars!!
Both BNSF and CPR handled more Intermodal cars then boxcars.
BNSF 15,604 boxcars vs. 16,162 Intermodal
CPR 6,164 boxcars vs.8,990 Intermodal.
Information from
http://www.railroadpm.org/Performance%20Reports/NS.aspx
Those are interesting figures.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Jimmydieselfan wrote:These cars are for hauling lumber and with the new home construction industry at at standstill these cars are at a standstill too.
Spine cars haul trailers, containers, or a combination of the two. You're probably thinking of some other type of car that hauls lumber such as a centerbeam flat, bulkhead flat, or the like.
Different markets ship in different modes, some use long containers, some use shorter containers, some use TOFC. Some routes can only be single stacked due to clearances. Newer, more versitile cars are built.
As the market flows change and various routes are improved to handle double stacks, the need for certain car types changes and some of the older, less efficient cars are side lined.
For example if those cars are truly single stack container cars and the route they used to run on was improved to accept double stacks, then the single stack cars are now obsolete.
Dave H.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
N Scale Diesels......I like 'em