pallet

[Anonymous]

When did the standard shipping pallet come into use for moving cargo by rail?

[Anonymous]

Hi there Brian
I see this is your first post, so [#welcome] to Forums!

To answer your question, I have no idea. If you don't get many replies here, try posting the same question on the Trains Magazine Forums (just click on to the underlined highlited words).
As far as pallets being standard, their really isn't a standard SIZE as far the railroad is concerned. That is left up to the manufacturer of the goods to be shipped. Somtimes they have to consider how they fit in a rail cars and trucks. It also depends on the product.
When did they start using them? I would guess the same time the pallet jack was invented.
Hope you find the answer your looking for.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Having worked in a warehouse in the past, pallets come on all shapes, sizes and materials. We were constantly on the look out for pallets that were the wrong size for the storage racks in the warehouse, and would gather them and load a semi trailer and send them away.

Something on the order of 3 x4 would be pretty reasonable, and fool most eyes.[swg]

[CNJ831]

As I recall, wooden "shipping pallets", as we understand them today, came into general use shortly before WWII. Prior to that time somewhat similar-looking "skids" were employed for the same purposes.

CNJ831

[CNJ831]

Perhaps some further clarification on this subject might be useful as there does seem to be a certain amount of inappropriate use of pallets on steam era layouts.

Expanding on what I said in my previous post, prior to and during much of WWII "skids" served many of the same purposes as modern pallets. However, skids were made of steel or a steel frame topped by boards. Skids rested on four legs similar in appearance to freight car stirrup steps. It was for use with skids that forklifts were originally designed (circa 1931).

As steel became a war effort commodity, wooden pallets came into use but ever through the end of the 1940's probably did not replace skids in many applications. Wooden pallets lacked the strength of the steel skids but were cheaper and fully disposable (skids needed to be returned) so they represented a savings for most manufacturers and shippers. So, by the early 1950's pallets were commonly seen around loading docks and shipping facilities.

While a number of hobby manufacturers offer HO pallets, I do not recall any that produce models of skids.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

CNJ is right, wooden pallets like the ones we see today were first used in the early 50's.

If you're interested in scratchbuilding your own here's a link that shows some dimensions. http://www.rheaproducts.com/pallets_replacements.html