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Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

So I was perusing the “Projects” section of the Norfolk Southern website, and one link mentioned an army tank terminal. I clicked on it, and… it still looks like the unload tanks circus-style, on flatcars. Does anyone know more about this? It looks like the vehicles would have to traverse the gap between flatcars… but how they would do that, I don’t know. [?]

http://www.nscorp.com/nscorp/application;JSESSIONID_nscorp=ENwMqCgga22ruKQfCU9RHdy6ACIx1XZOLx06Dciy3igWu41AjNQH!-980756924?origin=content_home.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=Doing+Business&contentId=english/nscorp/doing_business/none1/home/id.html

sorry it’s a really long URL

2

sorry guys but from the above link you have to go to “Projects” and then to the new army tank terminal.

3

I guess that the gap is just not big enough to matter or they have some type of thing to put between the cars for the tanks to travel over. Good question.

4

I think I read somewhere that the M1 Abrams’ tank tracks are designed to allow it to cross ditches as wide as 11 feet. If that’s true, it should have no problems rolling down a string of flatcars.

Now wheeled vehicles like Humvees or Strykers are another story… I’d imagine they would be loaded similarly to TOFCs…

5

Not a worry for the tanks. I wonder about the flat cars though. I suspect they possibly use a spreader to protect the ends of the flats as the tanks roll across. But that is just speculation.

6

NSyipee the flatvars have a portable spanner that is put in place by 4 people. these usually have a 45 degree angle on both ends and a piece of angle stock underneath that buts up against the end sill of the flat in the direction of movement.
I know I have done several railloads in 9.5 yrs in the Army kinda scary the first 2-3 times that i did it but then became fun

Tom

7

I’ve seen them load and off-load at Ft Drum in NY. The cars had small platforms that would be placed over the gaps allowing continuous platforms between the cars. The M1 can span large gaps, but other tracked vehicles and wheeled vehicles cannot. It’s still a rough process for the cars, as they are beat to s$%* by the weight and rough handling of the vehicles.

Marc

8

I think that the flatcars have small fold up things (ramps maybe, can’t think of the word right now) on the ends of each car. When they are folded down, the gap is closed, so the tanks can go across without damaging the car. When thay are loaded from the main ramp that was pictured, I bet the ramp has a cut out to hide the coupler and make a flush fit so there would be no gap between the ramo and the car.