Double Stacks

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal

'course, I doubt you see much TOFC or bi-modal up there either!

Not unless they ship corn or big, pink rocks that way.[;)]

[Anonymous]

Double stack was the perfect fit for a rail system predicated on 25 mph running. If you can't get there ASAP, at least fit as many onto a consist as you can, e.g. max out the load factor.

However, if the purpose was to get the stuff not only from point A to point B as fast as possible, but to also allow the shipper to get the stuff from dock to dock as fast as possible, you'd want to avoid double stack like the plague. In this situation, you'd want a single stack system, which keeps the terminal time down. The best fit is a bi-modal container on chassis system like RailRunner, then you have almost no terminal cost or delay (e.g. no lift on lift off, no dray costs, no terminal container storage shuffle between modes).

'course, I doubt you see much TOFC or bi-modal up there either!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Safety Valve

Here is a stack train I shot last week.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cuFnQkgT9cY

hmm...interesting video after yours. i was waitin for some chicken fronts to go flyin...lol

[TomDiehl]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

Here is a link to Gunderson's Stack Car Page.

You are not alone in rarely seeing a common type of train. Since UP bought SP, I rarely see a coal train. The last time I saw one was January 2005 when the line through Las Vegas was washed out.

Murphy, using Eric's link, a picture is worth a 1000 words. The drawing with the Maxi-Stack IV shows how the articulated joint is set up.

A modelling article on the original SP Double Stack cars was published in the Model Railroader October 1983 issue. I scratchbuilt 6 of the 5 unit ones, plus one each of the single and 3 unit ones. Looks pretty impressive for a six car train behind double headed Athearn SD40-2's and a fuel tender.

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding

I have honestly never seen a real, live double-stack train,or any train hauling containers, for that matter. I live off the beaten path in S.D., and what I see is grain and rock trains mostly.
Can someone give me a primer on double-stack trains? The pictures and concept makes sense-easy enough. Then, I read about wells,bulkheads,5-unit articulated cars,and three-platform double-stack cars with interbox connectors and......ZOOM...right over my head. [D)] Thanks

.

You aren't that far from Lincoln - come on down and we will show you a variety of all of the above.

Unfortunately nothing will fit in MIllie to bring it to you.....

Mookie/Driver

[Mookie]

Apologies from Mookie's corner. She got a little excited when she saw the word containers and forgot the subject matter. Spines go through here a lot, but always carry only one level. And I am always watching the underneath rather than the top - not a lot of car under there.

[ericsp]

Here is a link to Gunderson's Stack Car Page.

You are not alone in rarely seeing a common type of train. Since UP bought SP, I rarely see a coal train. The last time I saw one was January 2005 when the line through Las Vegas was washed out.

[greyhounds]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murphy Siding

Kevin C. Smith: I did get a chuckle out of your comments. If you have two 89' flatcars connected with a draw-bar carrying 3 containers,does the center container have to have some special connections? It would seem that the two flatcars would *swivel*(?) going around a corner. The center container would have to be able to move, somewhat, wouldn't it? Thanks

I've never seen 3 on 2 with containers. But it's sure been done with trailers. When the 89' cars (built to handle 40' trailers) couldn't carry the longer trailers some modifications to the cars were made. One modification was to put a hitch at each end to allow two 45' trailers to be carried back to back. But then the trailers got longer than 45'.

Then TTX mated two 89' cars and had a 48'/53' trailer stradle the drawbar between the two cars. It did work fine. (I kind of remember mentioning that to them over there on Wacker Drive.)

For a pimer on double stacks, and rail containerization in general, you might get a back issue of Trains. March 1994 IIRC. An article written by some guy named Strawbridge who had some kind of a background in rail intermodal marketing.

[Murphy Siding]

Kevin C. Smith: I did get a chuckle out of your comments. If you have two 89' flatcars connected with a draw-bar carrying 3 containers,does the center container have to have some special connections? It would seem that the two flatcars would *swivel*(?) going around a corner. The center container would have to be able to move, somewhat, wouldn't it? Thanks

[MP173]

I remember seeing my first double stack train back in the 80's and got all excited.

Now....blah. Give me a manifest train with box cars, hoppers, gons full of scrap metal, tank cars, etc.

ed

[Anonymous]

Here is a stack train I shot last week.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cuFnQkgT9cY

[CShaveRR]

Kevin is right, except that there are drawbar-connected double-stack cars, too. I've never seen the drawbar-connected 89-foot pairs carrying containers, just trailers.

[Kevin C. Smith]

If I'm remembering things right (and I'm more ingnorant than informed-so maybe I'm coming from closer to your perspective-hm, didn't mean that the wrong way):
"Single well" is a single car that can carry double stacked containers.
"Articulated" is, yes, a set of five cars (like above) on six trucks.
"Drawbar connected" is a pair of old 89 foor piggyback cars permanently connected with a drawbar instead of a coupler to carry three containers (not double stacked, just one level), with the middle one straddleing the two cars over the drawbar.
"Spine car" is a single level car (and I think they come in articulated sets, too?) that looks like nothing more than a center sill with trucks. There are usually just brackets at each end to hold the corners of a container (single level, again, no double stacks). Some may have a short section of grating or platform at one end so that the wheels of a trailer can straddle the center beam (have to be crane loaded/unloaded, not roll on/off like piggyback could sometimes be)

[espeefoamer]

Articulated well cars have a drawbar instead of a coupler at the articulated,(single truck) ends of the wells.Spine cars carry one trailer or container.I haven't seen containers double stacked on spine cars.

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrnut282

A single-well car is a car with only one well to carry one container or two if their stacked (not an articulated or draw-bar connected multi-well car).

I'm not sure if I'm following this part yet. A single-well car has one well to carry one container(or two stacked). OK, so far, so good. Articulated would mean to me the five-car sets, made to carry five containers on six trucks. Now-draw-bar connected multi-well car is what? And isn't a spine car what's used to carry units of lumber? Thanks

[Mookie]

And throw in spine cars being used to haul tainers - saw one yesterday.

Mook

[CShaveRR]

RRNut's got it--a single well, as opposed to a "three-pack" or a "five-pack".

[spbed]

Look on my link in most of the California/Utah galleries you will find many DS trains [:o)]

Originally posted by Murphy Siding
[

Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR  Austin TX Sub

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