Schnabel car ops

chadw · December 28, 2006, 2:37pm

How are scnabel cars operated? How are they loaded and unloaded, are they ran as a regular car or a special train, if a special train, what else is in the consist, etc. I got one for Christmas and I’m not sure how to run it. If you don’t know what they are here’s a pic.

mlehman · December 28, 2006, 3:44pm

This link shows how the Schnabel and other heavy-duty cars were used for a recent shipment of oil shale refinery components.

http://www.lswci.com/fairlane2005.html

Basically, Schnabel loads are welded or otherrwise attached to pickup points that hook into each end of the car. An on-board hydraulic system can shift the load for clearance, which is sometimes required en route.

Railphotog · December 28, 2006, 4:39pm

These cars run as special, separate trains only, even when not loaded. They have to travel very slow most of the time, partially because of the clearances. The have, as shown in the previous photo, their own caboose to carry along the special crew who accompany the train. Often they also have spacer cars in the train, to spread the weight around.

csmith9474 · December 28, 2006, 4:46pm

Here is a great site for heavy duty flats and such…

http://www.garlic.com/~tomd/?

dknelson · December 28, 2006, 5:09pm

Yes when we saw a Schnabel car come through Milwaukee a few years ago it had to take a siding at Lake to wait for the Amtrak and evening freights to clear because even though it is a double track main line, due to its wide load it had to be the only train going between two points. It was a dedicated train with I think two cabooses to protect the special crews. It was really something to see – and hear! – move.

Dave Nelson

chadw · December 28, 2006, 6:08pm

Thanks for all of those links. I read the operations papers under one of them and it said that schnabel cars must be preceeded and followed by a car of 70 ton capacity. So I know the special train will probably consist of a caboose, a 70-ton flat the schnabel car, a 70-ton flat, and another caboose on the end. The papers also said that the empty schnabel cars were to pulled on the rear of a train not exceeding 100 cars in length. That contradicts what was said here so I’m not sure to run it as a special train empty or not. I found a picture of an ABB rider caboose so now I have to paint a couple of them and some flats and the loaded train will be ready. One more question. What kind of power would the railroad assign to the head end?

Kurt_Laughlin · December 28, 2006, 6:48pm

These cars typically have custom made adapters to match the particular load being carried. If that adapter is small enough to meet clearances or removable there’s no reason why these couldn’t travel empty as just a long load, as your info shows. Theoretically, a really long, normal height, but narrow load (say, a plate girder) could be carried that still met Plate B clearances, which wouldn’t require special handling at all.

I believe the flats you mention are for braking capability, not necessarily as idlers for load overhang.

KL

mlehman · December 28, 2006, 6:57pm

Actually, running an empty Schnabel car on the end of no more than 100 cars sounds plausible to me – and not a contradiction. Without the load, the axle loading on the connected ends of the car only is probably very low with all those axles. It is also much shorter and the car itself is within normal clearances for most track. So an empty Schnabel might be with some accompanying spacer cars, but could be hauled with other freight, as long as it’s at the end, which I didn’t know. Thanks for digging that nugget out.

As for motive power, I suppose reliability is the most important virtue, given the slow speed limits when loaded. A breakdown of a loco would not be convenient, to say the least, given the extensive – and expensive – resources involved in such a move.