Hey why not? Since truck labor is cheaper then railroad labor have specilized Bulk containers haul grain.
A concept such at this would require the replacement of grain elevators with mini-container terminals so I don’t think that it’s going to happen anytime soon. There are a lot of other factors involved in transportation of grain besides the railroad and those issues would also need to be addressed.
Great way for someone new to the Agri business to start out though bypassing normal big industry distribution.
i have not seen it, however, there was a lot of “talk” that this had become a frequent option duing the equipment crunch brought on by the autumn harvest of 2004. prior to this there was some small use made of containers for “identity preserved” grain shipments.
In some vacant areas along the BNSF transcom near Chicago, empty containers are stacked up almost as high as a 10 story building. I remember someone posting that it’s not worth the expense to ship empty international containers back. If this is common all over, maybe they could be reused or converted for grain.
Further comment: although it sounds like a good idea, using conventional shipping containers for grain shipments would be like going back to boxcars from covered hoppers. You would need to use specialized bulk containers which would still have to be returned empty to the point of origin.
If you have ever seen open top containers you can use them then tarp the top just like trucks do. Also in my day my company had bulk containers that loaded just like a hopper car & you discharged it by lifting the front up & the grain then spilled out. [:o)][:p][:D]
[quote]
Originally posted by Peterson6868
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It is already happening.
“Northwest Container Services, under contract with the Port of Pasco, operates an Intermodal Transportation Facility located at the Big Pasco Industrial Center in Pasco, Washington. The facility ships agricultural products produced in southeast Washington bound for Asian markets. Primary commodities include hay cubes, whey, wheat, onion, and other, mostly agricultural, products.”
"The terminal is served by barge and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. The terminal handles over 4200 containers yearly and offers transportation links to the Columbia River, Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline, and State Highway 395. "
Also see Reuter’s article, July 1,
Best regards, Michael Sol
A lot of grain is hauled in standard 53’ closed top semi boxes - so many smaller operators are already familiar with loading container-like shipments. These unload easily - just as spbed described.
However, grain moves by the lowest freight cost methods available. Thus, while possible, freight rates will mean that grain-tainers will never impact unit grain train shipments.
dd