Do the railroads allow loaded flat bed trailers in their intermodal trains? The only railroad hauling them is FEC and that was a few years ago.
Thank you!
I used to see loads of Bob Cats on flat beds ramping at the CP Shorham. But that stopped when to CP went to COFC only. Generally RR’s don’t want to handle flatbeds on TOFC due to dragging chains and straps & flapping tarps
I rarely see a TOFC any more (Mostly COFC nowadays) but I‘ve never herd or seen one that has flatbed trailers on it.
-Justin
Justin:
Just today I saw a very long BNSF train, I’m guessing one of those 15,000 footers. About thirty cars of double stacks (mostly HYundai Containers), and the rest was TOFC with only the last car having one trailer, and then the DPUs. This is pretty frequent occurance in the mornings, and then the rest of the day’s traffic is mostly containers, and a few merchandisers.
What is interesting, and you see it about every other day, is a whole train with singled containers in well cars. The double stacks are a few either on the front, or at the rear. My guess is that they ( the singled-out cars) are probably originating out East somewhere ( maybe CSX or NS), and run as a whole unit with some double stacks added on the end of the run through.
Have observed no flat beds, either empty or loaded. On occasion you’ll see some cars with stackd chassis, usually about four in a stack. There was for awhile, every day, an Eastboujnd empty table move with only one unit for power, came through about middle of the day ( 10Am to 1PM). BUt have not seen it in the day, if it still runs is coming through at night.
Regards;
Kind of doubt that someone would use a flatbed trrailer on TOFC. It would be just as easy if not cheaper to use a team track and reload on a flatcar.
FEC might have they do a fair amount of business to South Florida with TOFC that involves them taking loaded trailers south and then the empty trailers back north. There is a real imbalance of freight into South Florida with more freight going south then north.A lot of trucking companies handle this by deadheading equipment north. Say a truck that emptied in Miami will deadhead to Orlando for its next load. A truck emptying in Orlando will deadhead to South Georgia, Etc.
Rgds IGN
I’ve seen flatbeds with bobcats (or similar equipment) being hauled on intermodal trains on NS already (within the past 2 years). So yeah, it happens.
When I hauled Ravens spread axle covered wagons plus 48 foot freuhauf bulkhead decks we did not touch TOFC. What is there is a fabric plate that goes on your 5th wheel and you are connected to that flatbed all the time with the last outfit I ran for years ago. The other outfit had a drop yard where you just picked your load, tarped it and took off the next morning.
We once handled import farm equipment and it was a run to remember. All shine and ready to work on the farm. The Delivery place was run by a family whose son thought I would never make it as a trucker.
we ran steel, hot rolled and cold along with wire, aluminum eye to sky and whatever else that could fit on that deck. Even hand made industrial machinery that took 4 months to build or cowhide being shipped south to mexico because the leather isnt fit for domestic use.
with the smaller 48 foot bulkheaded one, we were dedicated to Lowes, Home depot or whatever and hauled brick by the cube, concrete blocks, solid aluminum castings up to 6 feet thick and 40 long and rolled pipe, billets (Those are fun.) and all kinds of whatever. Even roofing foam. The loads I hated were Gypsum drywall or whatever it was. It had to be perfectly wrapped like a present so that nothing moisture gets into it. The other stuff was usually shingles for roofing from Tamko and other good places.
All of it due next morning somewhere.
Been there done that. But not by TOFC. It has to be there the next morning or else.
I have maybe seen TWO flatbeds on any train TOFC. One was jammed into a container well car and tilted at a angle minus a load the other was flapping about on a long 89 footer with a bad chain whipping behind it. That is about all I have seen in my own life. You could have probably paraded a circus train through wagons and all I would not have noticed.
It has been discussed in truckstops where you might get a loaded trailer (Whatever it is) ship the thing east, grab a rental trailer and load
Ain’t gonna’ take no 10 days.
And it’s been done. When I was in ICG Intermodal there was a truck line out of Sioux City. Marx Truck LIne they were. They moved grain to the Port of Chicago in open top trailers. They’d load two and shuttle them over to the TOFC ramp in Sioux City. Those two trailers would move into Chicago on a train. Then the driver, who was often the truck line’s owner’s son, would bring another load of grain into Chicago over the road. He’d deliver his load and take that trailer back to the Chicago ramp with whatever return load they could get. i.e. steel for irrigation systems… Then he’d shuttle the two rail loads to the port, returning one to the ramp to move west. Then he’d drive the 3rd load west.
Worked like a charm.
Flatbeds on our rail were a problem because they were one way loads. That meant one way revenue on a round trip because you had to return the trailer. Often you’d have to deadhead (move with no revenue) the flatbed to the load, then return it empty (no revenue) . Most of the miles would be without revenue and that’s no way to run a railroad. Good Bye flat
You will occasionally see flatracks in container service, a flat deck with a bulkhead on each end. The bulkheads fold flat when empty. The bulkheads are at the support point for 40ft containers and can be top lifted, normally shipped in the top position when loaded, I have seen 20ft versions, but much rarer. Can be stacked six high with the bulkheads folded down, saves space that way on empty returns.
I used to see flatbed trailers, carrying something that said something like Southern Pacific Company Stores on them, on trains.
n the mid 70’s the CNW hauled flat bed TOFC loaded with steel for Britton I think was the name. They went from Proviso to the Twin Cities. They were right on the head end. I know because I was the conductor on one of these trains one night and as we went through Waukegan IL the operator called on the radio and said something was falling off of a flat. We stopped and inspected the train and found nothing. Next trip I saw a steel coil laying in the ditch just north of Waukegan.
Must be why we do not see this much anymore.
month ago saw 2 flat beds on fec train carring the following…fresh green grass sod … another time saw 4 loaded down with lumber and shingles what abot thattt
In the latest issue of The Railroad Press there is a photo from several years ago of a flat bed TOFC on the BNSF carrying a load of traction motors. John Timm
Central Vermont Railway used to haul flatbed lumber loads…there was an article about it in a 1970s issue of Rail Classics.
Today load securement requirements and regulations are quite specific, and they are different for truck and rail, so I would imagine that would be a major obstacle…
I remember seeing some SP flatbeds carrying traction motors. Might be what you saw.
[quote user=“greyhounds”]
Ain’t gonna’ take no 10 days.
And it’s been done. When I was in ICG Intermodal there was a truck line out of Sioux City. Marx Truck LIne they were. They moved grain to the Port of Chicago in open top trailers. They’d load two and shuttle them over to the TOFC ramp in Sioux City. Those two trailers would move into Chicago on a train. Then the driver, who was often the truck line’s owner’s son, would bring another load of grain into Chicago over the road. He’d deliver his load and take that trailer back to the Chicago ramp with whatever return load they could get. i.e. steel for irrigation systems… Then he’d shuttle the two rail loads to the port, returning one to the ramp to move west. Then he’d drive the 3rd load west.
Worked like a charm.
Flatbeds on our rail were a problem because they were one way loads. That meant one way revenue on a round trip because you had to return the trailer. Often you’d have to deadhead (move with no revenue) the flatbed to the load, then return it empty (no revenue) . Most of the miles would be without revenue and that’s no way to run