Clarification needed on types of Intermodal Cars

[KlickyMobster]

Hi guys,

I was looking at intermodal cars (again) for my layout, and came up with a question.  Impact intermodal cars...the athearn BB kind, are they meant for piggyback transport or container trainsport, or both.  Also, what period are these appropriate for?  Thanks!

[nbrodar]

The Athearn ones are strictly for trailers. 

Some of the prototypes are equipped to carry both trailers and containers.  The Walthers model represented these.

Nick

[ericsp]

I think somebody posted the approximate time these car started appearing, I think it was the late 1970s or early 1980s. You might try searching the forum for Impack. By about 1993, when I started paying attention, the shortest platforms I ever saw were 48', so the Impack cars were rare or gone by then.

[Lennmwrr]

The Impack car was only for 45' trailers.  Santa Fe had ten-packs of similar design.  There were some 5 car articulated cars that were only for containers.  SP and SSW had four and eight pack trailer only cars.  Athearn makes or use to make the 5 packs in BN and TTX.  They had some with ATSF, SP, and SSW reporting marks as well.  The only problem is that if you buy a Athearn set you would have to combine additional intermediate sets to make up the 8 and 10 packs.  They have NTTX reporting marks by Trailer Train (TTX Corp.). 

Walthers makes a multi-purpose articulated spine car with 5 platforms.  They have the capability to carry up to a 48' trailer or container.  The outer platforms can also carry two 20' containers.  These are single stack only.  You can also load three 53' trailers on the spine car provided you leave the C and E platform empty.  The trailer wheels would have to be slide towards the front so they can sit on the car properly.

Believe it or not I saw one of the 5 packs with TTAX reporting marks and a NTTX car in the BNSF Lindenwood Yard (St. Louis) a few months back.

Len

 

Len

[ericsp]

The TTAX cars are the 48' and 53' platform cars and are very common. I believe that the NTTX cars are spine cars that only carry containers. They are fairly common but not as common as the TTAX cars. Athearn's cars had UTTX or TTUX reporting marks, I will have to check to see which ones.

Athearn also made Impack cars decorated for ITEL.

[laws0061]

These days most of the impack or spine cars on that the railroads run are are made for 53 foot trailers.  TTAX are five packs and TTRX are 3 packs.  I have seen these for just single 40'-53' trailers, 2-28' trailers per unit, and some that can haul trailers or containers.

 NTTX cars are a little less common but they can haul only single stack 2-20' containers or 1-40' container.

 Josh.

[ericsp]

There are TTAX 3-unit cars in the TTAX 355000-355199 series. These have 53' platforms. The TTRX cars have 57' platforms, and as far as I know are all 3-units.

It looks like the TTAX cars in the 70000s are 5-unit, 48' platform cars. The TTAX 355000 series cars are 3-unit, 53' platform cars. The TTAX 550000s cars are 5-unit, 53' platform cars. And the TTRX 300000s cars are 3-unit, 57' platform cars.

According to the BNSF information I check, the NTTX 67000 series cars have 48' platforms.

[laws0061]

Now that you mention it I have seen a couple TTAX 3 packs, though they are not very common.  And you are correct in saying that there are 57' foot cars I just dont think abou them beacause I don't usually see 57' trailers, most are 53' or shorter.  Most of the 57' cars also hold 2 28' ft cars.  Don't see 48' cars though since most of the trailers are 53' so 48' cars are kind of old and outdated.  Mind you these are just the observations of a switchman.

Josh.

[KlickyMobster]

Oh wow I forgot about this thread.  Thanks for all your help.  Actually, I bought a five pack of walthers spine car kits for 22 bucks back at the end of December.  I must say, they are very fine models and they look great!