what are spine cars used for ? rambo1…
Hey Rambo1,
Spine cars are used for highway trailers or containers if so equipped.
John R
And spine cars seem to be the way most Trailers going intermodal (TOFC aka Piggyback) are shipped in North America nowadays - viewing YouTube clips will help demostrate this. Note the majority of NA intermodal is containers, a reversal from the situation of the 1970s/1980s. Good old single 89ft flats are still around hauling trailers (although most of them seem to be now in service hauling long lading items like pipe and steel beams), but you really can’t put 2 53ft trailers on a single flatcar - you can use 2 89ft flat cars articulated together, and carry 3 53-57ft trailers that way, one straddling the articulation drawbar - TTEX/Long-Runners IIRC) - so, just put the trailers on articulated spine cars, each unit thereof capable of handling up to a 53ft trailer. I think short Pup trailers tend to go via flatcar (up to 28ft, should be able to squeeze 3 pups on a 89ft flat), and possibly 1 57ft trailer per 89ft flat (non-articulated). Here’s TTX’s take on their spine car fleet - strange, apparently there are 57ft-capable spine cars out there (Trinity?), but TTX doesn’t mention them.
One of the primary reasons spine cars were put into use was cost savings over the traditional 89’ flat cars. Spine cars weight less because they were simpler design, and therefore saved on fuel. Most are of a flexible design that can carry both various sizes of Trailers and Containers, depending on the design maximum length of trailer/container is 48 or 53’ etc.