After reading the thread on rails,i ask. Are there any trains with more weight than the UP Big Boys of 60 years ago.the weight of the 4000 series with a train five miles long,Was there heavy rail then.How did they handle it then. Next question how many autos are in those auto racks and how many units can they pull. Autos X Weight X number of auto cars,Would a derailment be a expensive for carrier or the insurer.What year did they cover those units with metal siding.Dont seem that long ago i seen open carriers. thanks in advance.
(1.) The rail is actually heavier (per square inch) now then back during the “Big Boy” era. Steam engines have a smaller footprint because, simply, they have more wheels which spreads out their enormous weight.
(2.) Depends on the type of vehicle being transported, and the type of autorack.
You can stuff 16 compact cars in a 89’, 12 “normal” sized cars, etc…
The carriers are self insured so when we lay a loaded autorack over the carrier has to pay for the cargo. The damaged vehicles are either sold back to the manufacturer or sold to a scrap dealer. No they are not sold to employees, or we’d be putting cars on the ground every three years or so!
I saw some autoracks “on the ground” some years ago - before all the screening, etc. All the automobiles were still in position on the racks, but a number of the racks were on their side. I suspect there was damage to the autos that might not show if they were sitting in a lot…
They used to chain the cars down, now they drive them on and put 'em in park then they use special chock blocks and block them in.