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[Anonymous]

hello guys. it's your friend deron again. here to post another topic to make you think.mmm.?
i was ask to add two more terms to my question. that's why i have change the question some. the question is the same. two part question. please exlpain your answer.

did the intermodal, roadrailer . tri-level autorack , centerbean flat car train. cause the end of the use of the boxcars as we know it.

[DSchmitt]

To the list you should add the tri-level autorack and centerbeam flat car.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Roadrailer and intermodal are variations on the use of a truck trailer, which is what killed off a lot of boxcar loads. More shippers have truck loading docks than railroad spurs, so the truck can go to a lot more places.

The covered hopper also replaced the boxcar in the grain trade. CN was probably the last user of boxcars for grain, mostly because the line to Churchill couldn't support the greater weight of loaded covered hoppers until recently.

[Kevin C. Smith]

I'd say no-the boxcar was going out, anyway. What was killing them off was highway trailers. Intermodal & RoadRailer came in to bring some back to the rails.

[Anonymous]

First off, if the boxcar is dead, then I see CSX pulling alot of dead carcas's around.
Boxcars are not as numerous as they once were. That I admit.
Most shipping is moving away from breakbulk. Containers are used more than anything nowdays. With a boxcar, it takes alot of manpower to load, unload, and transfer cargo. A container is loaded once at the shipper, and unloaded once at the delivery point. Containers are preferred because the mode of shipping can be easily changed without handling the cargo. The container can come off a ship straight onto a truck, or train. It can be moved from a truck to a train or visa-versa in a matter of seconds. Security of the cargo is much better because the containers are locked and sealed. They can only be opened by the shipper, consignee, or the authorities.
The handling costs are much less with containers. Roadrailers use the same idea. The cargo is not actually handled by the carrier. Only the container that it is carried in.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't say boxcars are dead but they're not as numerous as they once were. Most of that business as other have pointed out has been lost to the trucking industry. Covered hoppers helped phase them out by removing them from grain and cement service since the products could be loaded into a hopper instead of needing to be bagged and loaded into a boxcar.

Intermodal is not going to be the beat all end all of the railroad industry though as even a small Intermodal facility is massive. The one down in Pitcairn PA spans for blocks. So you can just picture how big an even larger one would have to be. Hardly very efficient if one industry can just load up one boxcar or trailer and send it someplace else down the line or road.

[CMSTPP]

Not all boxcars have been eliminated since the cars you posted cannot carry Frozen things. The mechanical reefer is a boxcar with a refrigerating unit on the back. Also Boxcars can haul a little more than truck trailers can so the boxcar is still in use that way. Yes the Intermodal train took care of many of the boxcars but there still needed in many ways. Carrying paper is another thing.

James

[DSchmitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CMSTPP

Not all boxcars have been eliminated since the cars you posted cannot carry Frozen things. The mechanical reefer is a boxcar with a refrigerating unit on the back. Also Boxcars can haul a little more than truck trailers can so the boxcar is still in use that way. Yes the Intermodal train took care of many of the boxcars but there still needed in many ways. Carrying paper is another thing.

James

What about refrigerated containers?

"Container "Flavors"
Like highway trailers, containers come in many variations. The configurations include simple boxes with end door only and no insulation; insulated; insulated and equipped with temperature regulating equipment (heating/cooling). Temperature control equipment can be internally or externally mounted and use either on-board or external energy sources. " http://www.robl.w1.com/Transport/intermod.htm



http://www.transportplanning.com/refrigerated.html