In our area, plywood and carboard stock are shipped in by boxcar.
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Boxcars make up about one third of the cars in the general freght trains that come thru Tallahassee. This is a rough "eyeball" estimate, not acount.
All manner of products that need to be protected from the weather -- foodstuffs, machinery, hardware store items, plumbing fixtures, bathroom fixtures, cabinets, etc. etc.
Lumber and plywood are still shipped in boxcars. As is veneer to make plywood.
Also lots of scrap paper going to paper mills to be made into new paper.
overall Back in 1980, or thereabouts, we were told by the "experts" that the boxcar was dying out and would soon be gone. Yet, in 2014, I still see them in trains that come through my hometown. Who ships freight in boxcars in 2014? Specifically, what kind of frieght is it? Could the boxcar share of the market grow? Thanks, George
Back in 1980, or thereabouts, we were told by the "experts" that the boxcar was dying out and would soon be gone. Yet, in 2014, I still see them in trains that come through my hometown. Who ships freight in boxcars in 2014? Specifically, what kind of frieght is it? Could the boxcar share of the market grow?
Thanks,
George
The reason why newsprint would not be loaded in as many box cars this year is because several large newspapers and newspaper chains have moved all of their operations away from locations next to railroad tracks. Many of the newspapers have cut back on the the number of printings per-day and per-week.
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greyhounds I've done a 180 on this one. I'm now convinced that boxcars have a bright and shining future. Business handled in boxcars will grow. It's not the equipment, it's how the equipment is used.
I've done a 180 on this one.
I'm now convinced that boxcars have a bright and shining future. Business handled in boxcars will grow. It's not the equipment, it's how the equipment is used.
Boy, would I love to see an expansion of Greyhounds' thinking on this. (At your leisure, G.)
Up in the PNW, paper boxcars are one of the most common types of cars on manifest trains.
I would opine that certain commodities, like auto parts, are pretty much set up to use boxcars. A change to the alternative, containers, would require changes to how they handle them - ie, a reconfiguration of the loading and unloading facilities. As long as the railroads are providing the service required with boxcars, they probably see no need to change.
On the other hand, a commodity like newsprint might well find its way into containers, as local service dwindles, sidings are removed, etc. But, a large printing facility, which might go through boxcars of paper regularly, will likely continue that mode.
Other commodities, like lumber (I recall watching the crew from a local lumberyard unload a boxcar one board at a time...) have moved to centerbeam flats, or perhaps containers for "fancier" items.
Since boxcars by their nature "hide" their contents, I can only guess what's moving down the line here, but a lot of it comes out of Canada.
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