BNSF #245098 - 53' doublestack lengthend from 48'

[samfp1943]

According to some posters on Another Intermodal related board. Many of these modifications ( stretching well spaces) are being done in Amarillo Texas at a Progtress Rail facility. I would guess that Carl is right.

BNSF is anticipating more business for the new Cold Train and JB Hunt Refrigerated Container business. It will be interesting to see how this aspect of a new container market will progress.

If it goes like the changeover in trailer sizes went in the late 1970's and 1980's was with the 53 footer cargo trailers replacing the 48 footers. It was mainly with the force of shipper's demanding 53's to load, and forcing the truckers to bring the longer trailers into the market place as fast as they could get them made and bought.   Shippers like the idea that with light weights they could cube out before weighting out; even when they did not have enough product to fill the van. Even the heavy weight shippers wanted them, but the freight had to be spread out to equalize the weight for scaling purposes, so the drivers would have to load the trailer's space 'like a 48' trailer, leaving a void at the back.  I would suspect that there will be teething pains with this refrigerated business as well when they get fully into the market place.

Also the dynamics of a 53 foot reefer are a lot different than 'just cargo boxes'. Reefer units have to be protected in handling, and effect how they are moved about when off the train. Much heavier on the Uinit end, and so on. Not to mention the technology needed to monitor the load and container in transit. Good technology is available, but will it stand up to this new environment?Refrigerated loads are a different animal; they require a knowledge on the part of the driver about how to load so the ventilation (cooling) of the load will be even within the load. In-transit damage will be minimalized or eliminated.  Refrigerated transport requires a whole different skill set for those who handle and transport refrigerated products. I would venture that the learning curve will be a trial and not a little expensive for those on the operational side. 

I wish them luck, but it is a relatively new technology, and as been discussed in the thread on "Sprinters" elsewhere on this Forum, it will be interesting to watch this technology dove-tain into the present railroad environment.  

 

 

[CShaveRR]

You'd be very hard-pressed to put 53-foot boxes on the top of all wells on an articulated double-stack car because of length. I have the feeling that this is for some additional domestic business BNSF is anticipating. I suspect that there will not be enough 48-footers to fit in the lower wells. I'm thinking about that new perishable move that has been mentioned here a couple of times--those will all be 53-foot refrigerated containers on a dedicated train. They have bought enough cars with 40-foot wells in the past few years to accommodate the international container business for a while.

[blue streak 1]

Lyon_Wonder

Over the last several years 48' doublestack well cars have been rebuilt and shortened to 40' since 40' containers are the most numerous intermodal container out there.   BNSF has taken the opposite approach and lengthened a 48' doublestack well car to 53', which allows it to accommodate two 53' domestic containers.  

http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=57119

  

Why is this necessary?. Many 53' built now can stack on either a 40' or 48' especially the JB Hunt containers.

[Lyon_Wonder]

Over the last several years 48' doublestack well cars have been rebuilt and shortened to 40' since 40' containers are the most numerous intermodal container out there.   BNSF has taken the opposite approach and lengthened a 48' doublestack well car to 53', which allows it to accommodate two 53' domestic containers.  

http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=57119