UP parked a train of well cars with doublestack containers about 10 days ago on a siding of the old Palmdale cutoff. I assume the cans are empty. If their loaded someone is in big trouble! Is UP storing cars and cans?
I saw a long UP westbound this morning on the Geneva Sub with nothing but empty well cars and other container flats.
A "baretable" move isn't all that unusual - just repositioning equipment.
That's the first time I've ever heard of storing the cans on cars, though.
If the containers are loaded, it may be "SIT" - storage in transit.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
missed the boat?
Could the train simply be waiting for space at a terminal/port and and/or a crew to run it?
I've seen our trains parked for days at a time too, with or without power.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
paulcapUP dropped this train july18 then cut the power off. It's still here 12 days later. Never seen them do this b4.
If - it missed the boat. Ocean shipping does not operate on the same frequency of schedules that land transportation do. A high volume O-D pair on ocean shipping normally gets weekly service. Lesser volumes of traffic recieve a lesser frequency of service. Some might get service every two or three weeks, service might even be once a month.
Port area are congested area. There is not excess storage space to store the three hundered or four hundered boxes that missed that once a month vessel. I have no idea what the charges are, but under the circumsance, storing the entire train at a location under 'Storage in Transit' conditions and fees could well be the most economic solution for all parties involved.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACDPort area are congested area. There is not excess storage space to store the three hundered or four hundered boxes that missed that once a month vessel.
The SSA Terminal, one of five container terminals at the Port of Long Beach has a storage capacity of 24,000 TEU. So under normal circumstances storage of 350 40' containers shouldn't be a problem.
But the Ports of Long Beach/Los Angeles suffered a huge congestion in late 2017 caused, IIRC, by mega vessels and not enough appropriate container handling equipment leading delay for vessels of up to three weeks. Intermodal trains were held back en route to easy congestion in the Port.
I don't know if there still is a congestion.
Storing the train might just be an economical question, especially if there is a surplus of container cars.Regards, Volker
Maybe someone in Phelan went a little overboard on Amazon Prime Day?
VOLKER LANDWEHR BaltACD Port area are congested area. There is not excess storage space to store the three hundered or four hundered boxes that missed that once a month vessel. The SSA Terminal, one of five container terminals at the Port of Long Beach has a storage capacity of 24,000 TEU. So under normal circumstances storage of 350 40' containers shouldn't be a problem. But the Ports of Long Beach/Los Angeles suffered a huge congestion in late 2017 caused, IIRC, by mega vessels and not enough appropriate container handling equipment leading delay for vessels of up to three weeks. Intermodal trains were held back en route to easy congestion in the Port. I don't know if there still is a congestion. Storing the train might just be an economical question, especially if there is a surplus of container cars.Regards, Volker
BaltACD Port area are congested area. There is not excess storage space to store the three hundered or four hundered boxes that missed that once a month vessel.
Terminals depend on fluidity - several hundred containers just sitting in a terminal create their own congestion in the terminal.
BaltACDTerminals depend on fluidity - several hundred containers just sitting in a terminal create their own congestion in the terminal.
If the terminal is at its limits, yes. Not when it runs off its capacity. Containers need to be stored more times than not when from the ship before loaded on trains (or vice versa). Ships are not loaded with final destination in mind, only port and trains are seldom blocked correctly for ship loading sequence.Regards, Volker
VOLKER LANDWEHR BaltACD Terminals depend on fluidity - several hundred containers just sitting in a terminal create their own congestion in the terminal. If the terminal is at its limits, yes. Not when it runs off its capacity. Containers need to be stored more times than not when from the ship before loaded on trains (or vice versa). Ships are not loaded with final destination in mind, only port and trains are seldom blocked correctly for ship loading sequence.Regards, Volker
BaltACD Terminals depend on fluidity - several hundred containers just sitting in a terminal create their own congestion in the terminal.
Fluidity of a terminal is when it is only at nominally 60-80% of it's stated capacity. Once things get beyond that level one ends up with congestion created as the facility starts competing for the 'tools' it takes to operate the facility.
On the 'outside' everything looks 'fine'. On the inside there is competition for every resouce - trucks - boxes - chassis - storage spaces - internal cranes to move boxes around - supervision to keep track of it all.
Reminds me of some railroad bean counters - they look at a 200 mile subdivison and can't understand how it can be 'full' and that one more train will bring the whole operation to gridlock. To operate any kind of facility that depends upon movement - there has to be 'open space' on it's path for the product to moved to.
Thanks for the explanation but it wasn't needed.
It doesn't change my opinion.Regards, Volker
https://www.presstelegram.com/2018/07/10/container-movement-at-the-port-of-long-beach-sets-record/
Looks like 30% were empties heading back. Sounds like UP was doing some storage.
paulcap UP parked a train of well cars with doublestack containers about 10 days ago on a siding of the old Palmdale cutoff. I assume the cans are empty. If their loaded someone is in big trouble! Is UP storing cars and cans?
Were they 40' steamship boxes or domestic 53'ers?
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
paulcapThey must read our forum in Omaha.
Stranger things have been known to pass.
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