53ft Articulated well cars

[denveroutlaws06]

are there any of the 3 unit articulated well cars that have trailer hicthes in them?

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Most well cars that I've seen don't even have a solid floor so trailer hitches (fifth-wheels?) are unlikely.

[CShaveRR]

There were some triple-48-foot wells with a pair of trailer hitches (one at each end) built.  I can't find anything in the AAR Car Type Codes that specifies trailer hitches on any 53-foot wells.  That would be a little superfluous, anyway--since the hitches are on the edge of the wells, some of the trailer is not actually in the well, so a 53-foot well wouldn't be necessary.  I'm pretty sure a pair of 28-foot trailers would fit into a 48-foot well with a hitch at each end.

[BaltACD]

CShaveRR

There were some triple-48-foot wells with a pair of trailer hitches (one at each end) built.  I can't find anything in the AAR Car Type Codes that specifies trailer hitches on any 53-foot wells.  That would be a little superfluous, anyway--since the hitches are on the edge of the wells, some of the trailer is not actually in the well, so a 53-foot well wouldn't be necessary.  I'm pretty sure a pair of 28-foot trailers would fit into a 48-foot well with a hitch at each end.

Last time I did math - 2 x 28 = 56 and 56 is too large to fit in a 48 foot well car or even at 53 foot well car for that matter.

[CShaveRR]

That's absolutely true, Balt, if the two 28-footers are containers fitting squarely into the well.  But if your well has hitches on both ends, mounted with the center pins outboard of the well's edge by a foot or two (and the front of the trailer extends a few feet forward of the center pin), two 28-foot trailers could easily fit into a 48-foot well, back to back.  I've seen it done.

[greyhounds]

BaltACD

 

Last time I did math - 2 x 28 = 56 and 56 is too large to fit in a 48 foot well car or even at 53 foot well car for that matter.

There is this thingy on a highway trailer called a Kingpin.  It's a rather strong piece of metal extending below the trailer bottom and centered between the sides of the trailer.  It locks into the tractor's 5th wheel or a railcar's hitch.  It holds the trailer fast to the tractor or the railcar.  And I mean it really holds.  The highway 5th wheel and the rear tandems of a trailer can often be moved as to location within the combination vehicle in order to adjust the weight on axles.  But that Kingpin ain't movin'.  Them engineer fellers, they got this one figured out real good.

The Kingpin is located at various distances from the front end of the trailer.  36" behind the front of trailer is quite common, but 42" is also used.  (42" makes the vehicle illegal in Pennsylvania.  41" is OK in the Keystone State.)  The distance of the Kingpin from the front of the trailer is the "Kingpin Setting".

28 foot trailers are designed to be used in tandem or triples behind a highway tractor. (To say nothing of the Rocky Mountain Double, which is a whole different longer combination highway vehicle.)  28's are known as "Pups".  (I had some Greyhounds that had pups, but that's yet another whole different thing.) 

Pups (the trailers) can have a shorter Kingpin Setting than a 53' trailer.  Say 18".  So to get two 28' pups with 18" Kingpin Settings in a 48' well you would need to attach trailer hitches to the well car so that the Kingpin engaged 30+" beyond the well.on the end platform of the car.  Then 4+' of each pup would extend beyond the well making it possible to carry two 28' trailers in a 48' well.  I know it's a boggle, but them engineer fellers, they got this one all figured out too.

Anyway, it don't make no never mind no more, 'cause them 48' wells, they be obsolete.  It's a 53' well for domestic containers or a 40' well for sea containers meeting ISO international standards.

 

 

 

 

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[CShaveRR]

Thank you, Ken--I knew I could count on somebody to have the measurements for what I was trying to say, and remind me of the name "kingpin", on which I was drawing a blank when I posted.