SunnylandI can remember the reefer cars when I would visit the Frisco yard where Dad worked. The constant hum on the motor keeping the contents cool were hard to miss. The boxcar was and is still my favorite car because I remember seeing so many of them. When one passed with open door, Dad always said there goes a "sidedoor Pullman". The place where hobos would catch a ride and a good name for the car.
A real Sidedoor Pullman - a troop sleeper
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
FWIW Isn't Gulfport on the Kansas City Southern now? It's been years since I was there.
I'd driven any number of banana loads out of Gulfport. The company I drove for was based out of Jackson.
As to cargo sliding on rollers inside a container that is what cargo retaining equipment is for. One company makes a molded plastic piece used with a 2x4 stud to hold cargo. It does just fine holding 4000lb ibc steel chemical containers on a metal floor.
narig01 FWIW Isn't Gulfport on the Kansas City Southern now? It's been years since I was there.
No it's CN. Thouch KCS does have trackage rights on the ex-IC, and GM&O to Mobile, AL from Jackson, MS. The branch to Gulfport comes off at a junction in Hattiesburg, MS.
Short story about this area for which I know somewhat well. Some very distant relatives of mine down in these parts of the South use to ship paperwood from their mills on both the Southern Rwy.,and the New Orleans Great Northern Railway a predecessor of the GM&O.
Gulfport is also on CSX's, NO&M Sub between New Orleans and Mobile.
SD60MAC9500No it's CN. Thouch KCS does have trackage rights on the ex-IC, and GM&O to Mobile, AL from Jackson, MS. The branch to Gulfport comes off at a junction in Hattiesburg, MS.
The line to Gulfport was sold to the KCS.
greyhounds SD60MAC9500 No it's CN. Thouch KCS does have trackage rights on the ex-IC, and GM&O to Mobile, AL from Jackson, MS. The branch to Gulfport comes off at a junction in Hattiesburg, MS. The line to Gulfport was sold to the KCS.
SD60MAC9500 No it's CN. Thouch KCS does have trackage rights on the ex-IC, and GM&O to Mobile, AL from Jackson, MS. The branch to Gulfport comes off at a junction in Hattiesburg, MS.
Thank you for the correction. When did they sell it? Last time I was down there was 2018. I didn't even remember seeing anything KCS related. I did notice the Chiquita facility was in operation. Which I thought previously Chiquita had left Gulfport.
SD60MAC9500When did they sell it? Last time I was down there was 2018. I didn't even remember seeing anything KCS related. I did notice the Chiquita facility was in operation. Which I thought previously Chiquita had left Gulfport.
The line was sold over 30 years ago when the ICG was restructured into something that could possibly make money.
Chiquita did move from Gulfport to New Orleans for about a year. They then switched back to Gulfport.
New Orleans is not a good port. It exists because of the barge-ship transfer for bulk commodities. For containters, it's an also ran.
The major issue with the Port of New Orleans has to do with the Huey Long Bridge itself. It is to low for modern ships to clear underneath it. So they have made Gulfport MS the go to port for the Gulf of Mexico for most Ocean Cargo Vessels. Yes Mobile and New Orleans still gets the occasional ship into them but for the most part it is Gulfport if your wanting to ship overseas. I have filled out plenty of customs forms for Gulfport in my time at my job.
narig01I'd driven any number of banana loads out of Gulfport. The company I drove for was based out of Jackson.
Almost half (48% +) of our bananas come in through a combination of Wilmington, DE, Camden, NJ and Philadelphia. These ports serve the populous northeast. Gulfport is more oriented to serving the Midwest population.
The US west coast population receives bananas through San Diego, Port Hueneme, and Seattle/Tacoma.
Back in the day, the hottest train on NYC's Adirondack Division was BA1 - the banana train. Ran all the way to Montreal.
I've seen pictures of it with ALCO FA's on the point, to give a time reference.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
greyhounds SD60MAC9500 When did they sell it? Last time I was down there was 2018. I didn't even remember seeing anything KCS related. I did notice the Chiquita facility was in operation. Which I thought previously Chiquita had left Gulfport. The line was sold over 30 years ago when the ICG was restructured into something that could possibly make money. Chiquita did move from Gulfport to New Orleans for about a year. They then switched back to Gulfport. New Orleans is not a good port. It exists because of the barge-ship transfer for bulk commodities. For containters, it's an also ran.
SD60MAC9500 When did they sell it? Last time I was down there was 2018. I didn't even remember seeing anything KCS related. I did notice the Chiquita facility was in operation. Which I thought previously Chiquita had left Gulfport.
Ok you just sparked my memory. I forgot about MidSouth Rail Corporation. IIRC KCS bought the operation back in the mid 90's.
Shadow the Cats owner The major issue with the Port of New Orleans has to do with the Huey Long Bridge itself. It is to low for modern ships to clear underneath it. So they have made Gulfport MS the go to port for the Gulf of Mexico for most Ocean Cargo Vessels. Yes Mobile and New Orleans still gets the occasional ship into them but for the most part it is Gulfport if your wanting to ship overseas. I have filled out plenty of customs forms for Gulfport in my time at my job.
Concerning the Ports of Mobile, and New Orleans.. As of 2018 the former is ranked 11th, and the latter ranked 6th in the nation by tonnage.. That's pretty significant meaning they get more than a occasional ship.. Gulfport is not even ranked in the top 50 ports.
According to IHS Markit’s Global Trade Atlas (GTA), in 2019 Gulfport. MI ranked 24th in TEUs, while New Orleans ranked # 15 and Mobile ranked # 18.
Since Shadow Cats is in the trucking business, looking a containers in international trade is more relevant. And containers are important than tonnage, seems to me.
charlie hebdo According to IHS Markit’s Global Trade Atlas (GTA), in 2019 Gulfport. MI ranked 24th in TEUs, while New Orleans ranked # 15 and Mobile ranked # 18. Since Shadow Cats is in the trucking business, looking a containers in international trade is more relevant. And containers are important than tonnage, seems to me.
Typo in the article. It should be Gulfport, MS. Loaded TEU's are included in tonnage. Empties are not for obvious reasons. Example. The Port of LA might be the #1 port in TEU's, but it's not even in the top 10 when it comes to tonnage. Trucks haul tonnage not just empty boxes. I don't know if Shadow Cats hauls containers, crossdocks, or transloads into 53' Van's/Reefers from Gulfport. She can comment on this. So the tonnage is the relevancy..
Tonnage and TEU's are BOTH relavant measures of activity. Not all vehicles that move freight are loaded all the time - but they still have to be moved to be in a position to be loaded again.
We use Gulfport MS as our primary outbound loading point for anything our customers want to ship internationally for custom blended resins. It is an easy port for them to get to way easier than Houston or New Orleans in terms of traffic. Has good reloads for the drivers doing the hauls and fairly low port fees for our customers. We normally if shipping overseas require the customer to provide a 40 foot container that we will load for them and then provide the needed paperwork for the shipping line. New Orleans is the primary grain port in the USA also ships a lot of other bulk freight. Houston is the major port for the Oil industry and for Texas. Heck the petrochemical industry alone in Houston feeds the port with most of its traffic. The number of tankers going into and out of there is staggering.
Slightly off topic. G&W RR susidiary Alabama Gulf Coast RR. is going to have 2 new rail car ferrys from Mobile - Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Have to wonder how well the cars are treated once in Mexico befor reurning to US ?
Ready to Launch: New Rail Ferries for CG Railway - Railway Age
blue streak 1Slightly off topic. G&W RR susidiary Alabama Gulf Coast RR. is going to have 2 new rail car ferrys from Mobile - Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Have to wonder how well the cars are treated once in Mexico befor reurning to US ? Ready to Launch: New Rail Ferries for CG Railway - Railway Age
Isn't there an existing ferry operation out of Mobile to somewhere in South/Central America?
BaltACD blue streak 1 Slightly off topic. G&W RR susidiary Alabama Gulf Coast RR. is going to have 2 new rail car ferrys from Mobile - Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Have to wonder how well the cars are treated once in Mexico befor reurning to US ? Ready to Launch: New Rail Ferries for CG Railway - Railway Age Isn't there an existing ferry operation out of Mobile to somewhere in South/Central America?
blue streak 1 Slightly off topic. G&W RR susidiary Alabama Gulf Coast RR. is going to have 2 new rail car ferrys from Mobile - Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Have to wonder how well the cars are treated once in Mexico befor reurning to US ? Ready to Launch: New Rail Ferries for CG Railway - Railway Age
This is the service you're thinking of, they are simply getting new boats.
Run-through power sometimes gets fitted with 'ghetto grates' upon arriving in Mexico.
The TFM and FXE cars I've switched are always pretty old and run down, except for their newer autoracks.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Just a quick question concerning TOFC operations, who is responsible to fuel these trailers or is there enough fuel in those tanks when the trailer is brought to the intermodel yard for the complete trip of the trailer.
narig01 I'd driven any number of banana loads out of Gulfport. The company I drove for was based out of Jackson.
[/quote]
MICHAEL C AMOROSOJust a quick question concerning TOFC operations, who is responsible to fuel these trailers or is there enough fuel in those tanks when the trailer is brought to the intermodel yard for the complete trip of the trailer.
Indeed, UP screwed up what could have been a money-maker but then there is a reason why the Wizard of Omaha with the $$$ to buy any RR, did NOT choose to buy up UP as he knew them too well. If a RR chooses to go after perishables again, it will be BN with its WFE, NPX & BREX/National heritage. Given teh shortage of semi-drivers and the obvious advantage of rail, esp. long distance, there is a market awaiting an agressive RR.
Greyhound, I started with the IC RR in Gulfport as a switchman in June 1967 I had to work Bell Yard in Hattiesburg too, and yes we had loads of bananas out of Gulfport daily, had two trains into and out of Gulfport and four yard jobs.
I am way behind, Randy, maybe my distant cuz. I remember lots of reefers in the yard when Dad would take me to watch trains. The constant hum to keep things cold. Not sure how it all works today. Mary Stahl
BaltACD that is a real sidedoor Pullman and legal riders on it, not freight hoppers. Thx, Balt Sunnyland I can remember the reefer cars when I would visit the Frisco yard where Dad worked. The constant hum on the motor keeping the contents cool were hard to miss. The boxcar was and is still my favorite car because I remember seeing so many of them. When one passed with open door, Dad always said there goes a "sidedoor Pullman". The place where hobos would catch a ride and a good name for the car. A real Sidedoor Pullman - a troop sleeper
that is a real sidedoor Pullman and legal riders on it, not freight hoppers. Thx, Balt
Sunnyland I can remember the reefer cars when I would visit the Frisco yard where Dad worked. The constant hum on the motor keeping the contents cool were hard to miss. The boxcar was and is still my favorite car because I remember seeing so many of them. When one passed with open door, Dad always said there goes a "sidedoor Pullman". The place where hobos would catch a ride and a good name for the car.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.