INtermodal Articles/blueprints

[Anonymous]

A couple years ago now, Trains did a two part article on Yard design and operation. I am in the process of designing a large intermodal facility for my basement N scale layout, but I have no REAL idea how the hell these facilities operate and it's driving me NUTS! Does anyone have a blueprint or drawing or knowledge if there has been good illustrations of a facility layout? I have Kalmbach's book about Intermodal Facilities and equipment, but it does not describe the facility operation or have any good drawings of what a prototype facility layout might be. There are 2 drawings of a couple modules they built, but they are not helpful in describing the operation logic of them (How full trains come in, get broken down, and empty trains get made up and sent off...) ANY help or direction would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Your Friend,
John Lardino,
Woodstock, IL

PS: Hi Lowell...

[UPTRAIN]

They made a book about intermodal operations...it's by Kalmbach i think...can anyone else help?

[mudchicken]

Part of your answer lies in Simmos-Boardman's bookstore in Omaha...you should be able to find it easilly doing a simple search

[Anonymous]

As noted above, this book is a great resource. Your local hobby shop should be able to get it for you. I have a copy and it covers equipment and terminal set up.
- Stack

The Model Railroader's Guide to Intermodal Equipment and Operations
By Jeff Wilson
http://store.yahoo.net/kalmbachcatalog/12190.html

[DSchmitt]

A modern intermodal terminal is basically some long stub end tracks surrounded by lots of pavement. The one at Empire California can be clearly seen in aerial photos dated 1998 and 2002 on Terraserver. http://terraserver-usa.com/ Its the area on the topo map labeled "Landing Strip"

The pavement allowed plenty of room and access to the tracks for container crains and loaders, and tractor/container chassis rigs, and also lots of room to stack containers and store chassis until they are needed.

There is also office, shop and materials storage building and areas near the entrance.

Containers could be transfered directly between chassis and cars or moved to/from storage areas.

Semitrailers designed for intermodel use are handled similarly to containers.

[oltmannd]

I'll just add a bit to what Dschmitt has said.

An intermodal terminal has a "gate" or office building where the truckers drive in and out. This is where the RR either received shipping instructions or verifies that they have previously been sent electronically. The trailer or container is ususally inpected here as well so the pre-existing damage is not blamed on the RR.

The gate will also tell the trucker where to put the trailer. If the outbound train is loading, they may tell him to park near the loading/unloading track. A lot of the premium intermodal business, like UPS and LCL truck business comes in the gate just before train departure, so they are sent right for loading. If train departure is hours away, the trucker will be directed to park more remotely.

The loading/unloading tracks, sometimes referred to as pad tracks, are usually long and paved on at least one side and have room for the overhead crane or "packer" (picture a giant forklift - more or less) has room to manuver. These can be a mile long at a big modern terminal or only a couple 1000 ft at an older, smaller terminal.

The yard also needs support tracks to store empty cars and blocks loaded for outbound trains or block swaps. Figure about support tracks will outnumber the loading tracks 2 or 3 to 1.

It's best if all the tracks are double ended so you can work both ends of the yard simulatneously.

Often, the trailer storage yard will be unpaved. The kind and amount of equipment in the storage yard will vary with the kind of business the terminal handles. If it is a lot of steamship business, there often will be many, many, many containers and chassis stored there for the steamship company since they usually don't have their own inland terminals and contract with the RR for teminal storage. These often get stacked several high to save space.

[mudchicken]

Stub tracks in intermodal yard - really bad idea.....

Piggy packers take a back seat to Mi-Jacks (Moon Monsters)....go talk to DBLSTACK

http://www.mi-jack.com/

http://www.transalert.com/bookstore/Rail/Intermodal/

Each intermodal yard is different to the next one to to site constraints and changing technology, the basics are in concept only - physical constraints & budget limitations make for some unusual sites...Each railroad also has its individual operating quirks that effect the layout of a pig/container handling facility....[:D]

Having worked in and around 2 of the top 5 intermodal facilities in the country plus many smaller ones, it's still an inexact science still driven by operating department egoes and odd budget priorities...

[;)][;)][;)]

[DSchmitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

Stub tracks in intermodal yard - really bad idea.....

Piggy packers take a back seat to Mi-Jacks (Moon Monsters)....go talk to DBLSTACK

http://www.mi-jack.com/

http://www.transalert.com/bookstore/Rail/Intermodal/

Each intermodal yard is different to the next one to to site constraints and changing technology, the basics are in concept only - physical constraints & budget limitations make for some unusual sites...Each railroad also has its individual operating quirks that effect the layout of a pig/container handling facility....[:D]

Having worked in and around 2 of the top 5 intermodal facilities in the country plus many smaller ones, it's still an inexact science still driven by operating department egoes and odd budget priorities...

[;)][;)][;)]

Thankyou oltmanned and mudchicken for expanding on and clairifing what I said.

The one at Empire is the only one I know anything about (I visited it on a tour). It has two very long stub end tracks connecting directly to the BNSF although its owned by the Modesto & Empire Traction Co. It looks like the former landing field runway was incorporated into the design. I noticed in a 2002 photo on Terraserver that it is apparently closed. It appears very busy in the 1998 photo.

Circus style is more appropriate for my modeling era.

[Anonymous]

Hi John,
The Kalmbach book that I referenced above covers intermodal from the steam era to present including some excellent photos of circus ramps (arial shots and ground level shots.)

Another vendor / manufacturer of newer intermodal lift equip is "Taylor". They do some nice stuff. Cool thing on the Taylor machines is that the operators cab rises and falls with the box being lifted; at the height of the roof of the box. Give the operator a better view. Here's a few links to their stuff.
http://www.hkequipment.com/productline/taylor.html
http://www.taylorbigred.com/dealer-tools/Images-Application/

[Anonymous]

Here's one more for you. If you're interested in the layout of current intermodal facilites, BNSF Ry has a document on line that shows the location and a schematic of each of their terminals. Its a pretty large PDF (acrobat viewer) file. If you don't have a high-speed connection, it will take a while to download. You can page through and see every ramp on their system.
Stack.

http://www.bnsf.com/business/iabu/assets/pdf/facilities.pdf