How does switching at industries work? I know that at certain very small industries they’ll just put a rail coupler on the end of a front end loader and use that to shuffle cars, but do larger ones actually own their own locomotives and have their own crew or does the RR provide engines and crews for switching duty? If the industry owns their own engine and crew, do they ever go out onto the RR mainline during the course of their switching duties?
And a related question, when coal is delivered to a power plant, does it usually go to holding tracks first and then unloaded as there is capacity or does the inbound train go straight to the unloading tracks and then right back out?
All of the above - plus, some of the shortline or contract operators will provide a crew to switch inside the industry using either the industry’s locomotive, or provide their own locomotive there as well. Plus, some variations on the above, depending on the need for frequent / timely switching, costs, production line sensitivity, railroad availability in the area, etc.
Practically never - perhaps on a short line by special and prior arrangement in exceptional circumstances, but I’ve never seen or heard of it. One exception: I understand that some western logging railroads did use a mainline railroad for a few miles from the woods branch to the sawmill, but that was not very common.
Again, both. The former was the ‘norm’ until the 1970’s when unit trains became more popular, and which usually operate in the latter fashion because it’s more economical for everyone. But there are still some ‘legacy’ plants whose track layouts were established before unit trains which still operate that way - even though they now receive unit trains instead.
As a part to the contract for transportation the Shipper & Consignee are allowed one spotting of a car, at the point of their choosing for the loading or unloading of the car. ie. Shipper request a car be spotted at Spot 1 on Track 1 for loading. If in the course of that plants loading situation it would then be necessary fro the car to be moved to Spot 2 on Track 1 to complete the loading, the railroad would charge a ‘Intra-Plant Switch Charge’ for moving the car between the spots at the direction of the Shipper.
The same principal applies to the unloading of a car. If the Consignee specifies a specific spot for the placement of the car to be unloaded and after that car has been placed at that spot, the consignee the requests the car be moved to a additional spot, the Consignee will be charged for a ‘Intra-Plant Switch Charge’. I don’t know what the current cost of a Intra-Plant Switch Charge currently is - most likely $200 or more.
Various industries have consistent, legitimate needs to place cars at multiple locations within their plants. If these industries did not have their own locomotive and/or car mover, the industry would be at the mercy of the railroads crew to move cars about the plant and would also be responsible for Intra-Plant Switch Charges for every car that the railroad crew moved from one spot within the plant to another.
The industry makes the economic decision based upon how much intra-plant switching is required to satisfy their plant process requirements as to if it will be more economic for the railroad to do the switching and charge the intra-plant switch charges, or if it is in the plants economic interest to obtain a locomotive/car mover and the personnel to operate it to satisfy the plants requirements.
Here in Superior, at CHS, which was at one time the largest elevator in the world, and I believe is still the largest waterside elevator in the US at least, they have 3 SW-1’s, a 45 tonner and an SW9 for switching.
They handle all in plant switching themselves, and because of the size of the place, its necessary for them to go onto the “mainline” to move cuts. Here is an example of a move that happens:
The BNSF will bring in fresh cars for them, along a very tight curving track:
CHS will then grab their “road” power, the SW9, and after the BNSF pulls out, and drag their empties onto the “mainline”, which while in Yard Limits so its not technically, it is the main line of the Twin Ports and is called the Corridor. UP,CN (Duluth) CP and BNSF transfers use the Corridor.
Traveling down the Corridor:
The BNSF power will then wait in the clear while CHS spots the cars in two cuts along the waterfront:
Of the industries I serve… one has a locomotive. A couple others have trackmobiles. A couple use a front end loaded/john deere tractor to move cars. Others use a cable to pull cars. And still others will drop cars into position (they just have to make sure the car has a good handbrake, and they may need to use a prybar to get the cars rolling).
And other places are dependent upon the RR to move the cars for them. There are some industries that will pay for their own dedicated switch crew (or rely on a shortline/contractor), while others may need to use a local crew and incur all the extra charges.
