Farm and Construction Machinery Trains

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I one time saw a unit train that contained flat cars loaded with brand new John Deere tractors. I didn’t get to see the road name because it was rather dark and I was driving. I couldn’t identify which road was hauling them. Which roads haul these piece of machinery?

Thanks in advance.

2

I don’t know that it would all be cars from one railroad, it may just be whatever cars were available, or based on where the cars were going. If they were from one railroad, it would probably be whichever railroad served that particular John Deere plant.

Many flatcars in use now are leased cars from Trailer Train etc., with the last letter of the reporting marks being an X.

3

I have seen these and other manufacturers equipment at the enola yard in PA. the only constant was the engines…ALL NS.

I imagine that changes depending. where they are shipped

Bill D

4

untill the recent slowdown in business, the NS was running some short, solid trains south out of decatur with ttx cars loaded with Caterpillar haulage trucks (in kit form) and other big yellow machines. occasionally the CAT stuff would be on the head end of a regular freight train.

grizlump

5

Not much difference from an auto train. A big dozer may need 2 flats to hold the body & another for the tires, blades & etc. Dealer & Cat service reps may travel to the job site for final assembly.

An Iowa JD plant was on the IC/CN Iowa lines. The unit train could be split for the final destination. The unit train could also be headed to a port for export. You may find all JD or Cat tractors of a certain type made at one location then shipped anywhere.

6

Any flat that has tie downs will be used. Mostly TTX cars though. JD does a “Unit train” of combines here in my area every other year it seems.

For Deere Combines are picked up in East Moline by the ICE/DME and either interchanged to the BNSF or hauled by the ICE.

Construction equipment is pulled by the ICE/DME from the Davenport works off the Eldridge spur.

Deere tractors are from Waterloo Iowa and it is served by the UP/ IANR.

TZPR I think serves Cat in Peoria and TPW would bring stuff to us in Galesburg.

Like I said the majority of these cars are TTX but there were a lot of SOO and BN cars ( even a few BNSF ) that I had seen.If you go to Iowa Northerns website I think they have some shots of a unit train of tractors.