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Shipping Scrap Metal by Rail

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Posted by spbed on Saturday, April 9, 2005 8:07 AM
Taiwan used to be the heart of the ship breakers industry now it is India. Cost to much to do it here. [:o)][:p][:)]

Originally posted by corwinda

Originally posted by Junctionfan

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, April 10, 2005 8:16 AM
There are laws in most States regarding safe working conditions, so my idea about contacting the Police for an obviousl safety violation is not far fetched . And it is not only railroaders that should do this but truckers also, for the benefit of both and for the benefit for those actually working in these places.
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Posted by spbed on Sunday, April 10, 2005 8:21 AM
If a employee here feels his work place is dangerous who he has to do is place a call to OSHA. From then on the Feds will handle it. [:o)][:)][:D]

Originally posted by daveklepper
[

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, April 10, 2005 1:10 PM
Some observations:

1. I'm not trying to be facitious here, but it sounds like some of these scrap yards with the poor trackage are themselves engaged in deferred maintenance. It could be the same problem of low margins and inability to sufficiently recover their cost of capital as the railroads experience(d).

2. If and when China finally de-pegs it's currency and allows it to float freely, you will see a shift in the movement of scrap metal from gons going stateside to otherwise empty containers heading back to Asia. China will soon be the number one market for scrap metal, if it isn't already, and it is only the currency situation that is preventing more U.S. scrap metal from heading that direction. Assuming that the dollar will be devalued relative to China's currency if it is de-pegged, that will be a boon for scrap dealers. Of course, you will then have the problem of an overweighed container of scrap having a rod or something bust through the bottom of a container in a well car and causing a derailment. Anyway, it means the truckers will have to deal with the inherent danger of scrap yards instead of railroaders, as the container loaded with scrap metal will need to be drayed to the nearest rail terminal.
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Posted by spbed on Monday, April 11, 2005 8:02 AM
I believe todays piggy packers or overhead cranes have scales in them so if the operater is observant there should be no overweight containers. [:p][:o)][:D]

Originally posted by futuremodal

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 1:06 PM
Why not use containers with tops that open and load the scrap directly into the container on the flat car at the scrapyard?
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Posted by zardoz on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 1:31 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by daveklepper

Why not use containers with tops that open and load the scrap directly into the container on the flat car at the scrapyard?

The only problem with that solution is the amount of damage the container would suffer during loading (take a close look at gons used in scrap service). The flimsiness of a container would never hold up to the abuse. For the container to be strong enough, the walls and floor would have to be very thick, greatly increasing the tare weight.
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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 3:35 PM
Possibly the cost reductions, assuming really intelligent container design to minimize weight and maximize strength, would be so great as encourage the scrapyard owners to be careful in loading, not banging against sides, etc.
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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 1:34 AM
Also, why is it easier to load a container with scrap metal if it is on a truck chassis rather than on the flatcar? Finally, would not the cost savings of an all-rail container movement to the port be so great that the container could simply make a one-way trip to China as part of the scrap metal?
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Posted by zardoz on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 8:27 AM
Dave,
Ideally, you are correct on both accounts. But from what I've seen at our scrap yard (and at others), I would not hold out too much hope of the loading being done in such a way that the car is not damaged. Even the huge 40 sq. yd. containers we use to pick up scrap from industries get a terrible beating. The containers last about two years before they need to be refurbished, and maybe another year or so after that before the structure has been compromised so much that it is non-repairable. And at about $4K each, that gets expensive.
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Posted by spbed on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 8:34 AM
You skid & strap the scrap & then a forklift just loads it into the container. The steamship line have fixed rates for movement of containers with the RRs. Usually the more you guarantee the lower the rate in say a key corridor like LAX/Chic [:o)][:D][:p]

Originally posted by daveklepper

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 8:57 AM
Shipping scrap here in Florida is very good business. Just in Tampa Alone, we serve 6 scrap loaders and get 10-15 loads daily and are shipped out the same day to processors up north. We are not concerned with the revenue part. They are our customer and are in need of our services and are handled like any other customer. The empties are allocated to the customer and are switched whenever they request a pull. There have been some instances in the past when there were a shortage of gonds, but now it is cycling very well for a low cost commodity, safety issues notwithstanding.
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Posted by zardoz on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 9:19 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed

You skid & strap the scrap & then a forklift just loads it into the container. The steamship line have fixed rates for movement of containers with the RRs. Usually the more you guarantee the lower the rate in say a key corridor like LAX/Chic [:o)][:D][:p]

Originally posted by daveklepper


Perhaps you could do that with the cubes that come out of a compactor, but that would not work with the irregular shapes and dimensions of general scrap. Maybe if you shredded all the scrap (big, costly machine needed to do that), it might work, but only the big yards have the money needed to purchase and maintain a shredder.
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Posted by spbed on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 9:29 AM
Yes if they are using steamship containers I would say they would compact it as it would be most difficult unloading the container at the other end unless you have some sought of machinery to tilt it upward sort of like what you do when tarring a road. I am not in the scrap biz so it is only my opinion but if they did the same skidding procedure for used newspapers (also a very cheap commodity) I would say it sound practical to me. I would also suspect most scrap yards have compactors since much scrap moves on flatbed trucks as well.




Originally posted by zardoz

Originally posted by spbed

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