Hi Rob,
To The Forums........
I answered Your PM.......You may do that anytime. I'm not on the Forums much anymore, but I answer PM's.
Take Care!
Frank
to the forum. You are in luck, this thread is a a 4 year old thread, but Frank is still around and active and since this is your first post, it's probably all for the best. I would be very suspicious of a private message from someone with 0 posts.
Your initial 10 post are moderated, so there is a lag time until it appears.
Really old posts started by a guy named Anonymous with 400,000 posts are best left alone. The links and the photos usually don't work and Anoymous left the forum years ago.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
ETTX is a tri level autorack, TTEX is the long runner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K_a_Xnlyq0 hello jim... here is a video of what i run.... there are 53 foot cars on 89 ft flats...peter
riogrande5761 Interestingly, I've read that many well cars in the past 10 years have been cut down to handle 40' containers because apparently international shipping and overseas still uses 40 and shorter containers, apparently longer containers are domestic use only so some rail cars used for international are set up for 40' now. I'll defer to the "modern" folks to comment further on that! Cheers, Jim
Interestingly, I've read that many well cars in the past 10 years have been cut down to handle 40' containers because apparently international shipping and overseas still uses 40 and shorter containers, apparently longer containers are domestic use only so some rail cars used for international are set up for 40' now. I'll defer to the "modern" folks to comment further on that!
Cheers, Jim
I think the cars most hit by the "remodeling" would be the 48' single and drawbar connected well cars. They can't accept 53' containers; there don't seem to be any 48' boxes around any more, 45's aren't real common. I also think that both 40' and 53' wells have been made from them. Seems to me they could make a 40' and a 53' from two 48's. But I don't know whether that actually happened. For a modeler, though, it tends to be an attractive idea. Walthers was going to bring out a model of the stretch-53', but changed their mind. Sadly.
Ed
Worldwide standard shipping containers are 20 & 40ft containers, packed in container racks on container ships 9 high. No provision for anything larger. But some container lines would run under certain conditions 45's on deck. Containers capable of being stacked 9 high must be corten steel, most of that info, used to be on all standard shipping containers.
Of course I'll offer the obligatory "it's your RR and you can do what you like" and get that out of the way from the git go.
If you are trying to follow common practice for a given time period, then trailer length and intermodal rail cars should correspond to the time frame. In other words, if you are modeling 1985, I don't think trailers longer than 45' were used in intermodal service and rail cars were configured to handle 45' trailers - and maybe some were preparing themselves for 48' trailers so some rail cars may have been configured to handle them.
As for 53' trailers, I believe others have mentioned Bowser makes spine cars which are of the type built to handle those trailers (and of course shorter trailers). The ETTX Long Runner draw bar connected 89' flat cars can handle long trailers too with one trailer straddling the two flat cars.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Peter,
I had a Martrac 48ft reefer break in half while unloading from one of those tub cars with fifth wheels on them with a side loader, you have to use the grappler arms to get them out and there is not a real lot of room for them. Good new's the reefer was loaded from Mars candy. We were eating M&M's for a month. It would be the railroads call on that. No flimsy JB Hunts or Schneider 53ft trailers, they are getting rid of them anyway and going all 53ft containers.
My Son Pete is an ATM at UP Intermodal yard in Joliet, Il. My youngest Son Nick, He's 35 is a yard master at the CSX Intermodal yard where I worked. I'll ask Pete for sure when he gets up, He's gotta work tonite. I retired when they got heavy with 53ft containers and I'm not a railfanner, known as foamer's by Railroad people, at least this part of the country. No offence to railfanning.
peterjenkinson1956 hello ed.... where is hulsey.... which state...
hello ed.... where is hulsey.... which state...
I'm aguessin' Georgia. But I think someone else here is more knowledgeable than I on that.
thanks for the info... looks like i can run the 53ft trailers on the shorter walthers cars by only putting 3 on a 5 x spine care unit.... for the rest i will need to get some longer spine cars.... bowser i see that the trailers also can be put into well cars..... seen these with trailer hitches..... do these carry 53 ft trailers.................. thanks peter
thanks for the info... looks like i can run the 53ft trailers on the shorter walthers cars by only putting 3 on a 5 x spine care unit.... for the rest i will need to get some longer spine cars.... bowser
i see that the trailers also can be put into well cars..... seen these with trailer hitches..... do these carry 53 ft trailers.................. thanks peter
From what I've seen, you can put trailers into and on whatever they'll fit. That means the wheels have to be supported, and the trailer can't hit the railcar or another trailer. Oh, yeah. You need a hitch, too.
carknocker1 Here at Hulsey we see 53 Foot containers and trailers on TTAX cars quite often
Here at Hulsey we see 53 Foot containers and trailers on TTAX cars quite often
TTAX cars are 53 footers; TTRX cars are 57's.
When I last did my semi-decadal research at my favorite train-watching spot in 2010, the two sizes were about equally represented. Note that the 57's are three unit platforms, while the 53's are USUALLY 5 unit platforms. The latter also show up as 3's, on occasion--I only saw a couple of these, though.
Also, you can put two 28 foot trailers on a single 57' platform, but you can't do that on the 53's. Should you so desire.
Info for all to view.
I would not worry too much about getting 57ft spine cars, 53ft spine cars are perfect for Trailers/Containers, the number on the side of the equipment, 53ft designates the size equipment that will fit on the car, not the length of the car. And 57ft trailers are not allowed in all states and some only with a permit....which is not cheap. The only time I ever witnessed 57ft trailers in use when I ran coast to coast was Texas and OK. on the OK. Turnpike, you can see double 57ftrs running on it.
Here is a list of all states that will allow them and ones that need a permit:
Contrary to some peoples belief, it is not that easy to get around with a 53ft, let alone a 57ft. They don't bend in the middle around corners.
http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/TRB_82/TRB2003-000701.pdf
ho modern modeler I think Bowser made some (57' Spine) also but I didn't buy them when they came out.
I think Bowser made some (57' Spine) also but I didn't buy them when they came out.
NO. The Bowser's are 53'.
I've run 53' trailers on 57' Athearn spine cars no problem. One of the few types of rolling stock that hasn't derailed yet on my layout. I think Bowser made some (57' Spine) also but I didn't buy them when they came out.
Mine doesn't move.......it's at the station!!!
Ed,
Yeah! I like blueberry pie.
BTW, The older JB Hunt 48ft containers, you had to have on the crane spreader bar the twist locks that went into the side holes at the top of the container in order to pick them up. They were a pain in the patooey'. And they would only fit on a JB Hunt junk flimsy chassis. That got old very fast. I guess the railroads and JB Hunt finally got together and got them to use standard methods. Probably JB Hunt got tired of paying damage bills for broken and damaged equipment. The railroad is not liable for that end of the deal. Ha! also UPS. There are strict rules regarding the ramp that venders must follow, or be banned from the property. UPS drivers were notorious for parking waiting for a load on the concrete crane path,one of the rules in bold print, but yet they still do it. I have three UPS tractors to my credit. When the crane is on one side of the track the operating cab is on that side, so you can't see the other side, especially when the train is loaded on the other track. I don't need to tell you what a 10ft tall tire does to a tractor. Luckily there wasn't any injuries. One operator was the ace with 6 and one from some cartage joint. About a year later, they installed camera's and screen's in the operators cab and AC thank God.
Have Good One!
Frank,
I figured it was a slip. But if not corrected, it'll possibly take on a life of its own. And we'll have someone asking about OUTER box connectors.
I'd recommend the blueberry pie, myself.
ED,
Forgive Me....That was a finger error, I didn't catch.. does this mean I won't have any dessert tonight after supper? Cramped fingers do that some times.
zstripe ...IBC's when double stacked (inner box connectors).
...IBC's when double stacked (inner box connectors).
Inter-Box Connectors
A short You tube video of a Letoureau Articulated Intermodal crane side loader, loading a trailer on a spine car. 53ft trailer.
I operated one of these also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1E9IEs3hLY
Just looked at your link...nice models. You would not see those trailers, unless brand new and empty, on most US Railroads today. They would be refused, unless they were containers on chassis's. They have to be picked up by the grappler arms, those swinging arms you see and those grapplers just grabbing the bottom sides of the trailer are enough to damage it. They would have to have heavy duty oak wood attached to the front near the kingpin and right over where the tandems are if they were to be shipped by rail. All containers are picked up from the top. Those areas on the side where you see a vertical band on the front side and rear side of the container are standardized mounting for 40ft containers all over the World and they are heavily reinforced corten steel, that's were they put the IBC's when double stacked (inter- box connectors). I need a break...my fingers are cramping.
Years ago, still in the 80's and before commercial carriers, trucks had to have a fuel sticker on the side of the truck from that state in order to be on the roads of said state, or buy any fuel there, you had to have one for every state you operated in, along with a thick paper map with every state that had a authorization sticker on the map. I had the little sticker, but did not have the one on the side of the truck. In the US a scale house was a port of entry, like going to a different country, weights, lengths, each state had their own set of limits. They nationalized the rules around the mid 80's and got rid of the fuel stickers and replaced them with a IFTA sticker, for quadruple the price. It was not cheap by no means to own your own truck in the US. I had a P plate which stands for power plate, I could go anywhere in the US and Canada with that plate...but it was 35 hundred dollars a year and I had at one time three trucks running, with drivers, I made quite a few bucks...but paid a lot too. Took me four yrs of constant struggle to finally get my head above water. If I did not have the knowlege and tools to do most of my own repairs, I never would have succeded, but I made it and finally was able to buy brand new trucks, that I and my drivers could drive for five years without any big problem's. I'm 72 and don't even drive a car anymore and don't miss it one bit. Didn't mean to ramble.
http://www.3000toys.com/catalog/products.aspx?start=1&TYPE=TRUCKS&MFG=TONKIN&SCALE=1/87&ORDER=M&setup=
i got my trailers from 3000.toys
chutton01 Apparently the 57ft of those Athearn spine cars refers to lenght, not to maximum trailer length
Apparently the 57ft of those Athearn spine cars refers to lenght, not to maximum trailer length
No, it DOES refer to maximum trailer length.
hello frank..... i understand about the iso 20... 40 ft containers... you are right
we also have containers longer than 40 ft... they also are used for internal transportation....you mentioned fuel stickers... what are they... i have never heard of those?????...... i you would like to see some of my trains look at my you tube..... sexygirlove20 ...... thanks peter
Bowser offers some very nice spine cars in their executive line. Available in 3 or 5-unit sets, they can be used to carry 53' trailers as well as all sizes of containers. The bowser model is similar to athearn's: die cast metal bodies, metal wheels, etched walkways, lots of added on details. Worth looking into.
http://www.bowser-trains.com/history/spine.html
TONY
"If we never take the time, how can we ever have the time." - Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)
Apparently the 57ft of those Athearn spine cars refers to lenght, not to maximum trailer length:
These cars can be configured to allow loading of trailers of varying lengths, from 28' pups to 53' high capacity units.
Richard,
I see they say the same thing: Out of Stock, Discontinued. I guess the demand is not that great.
I will freely admit...I forgot about them. But like I said...don't like 53ftr's of any kind anyway.