The loading thread is great [:)]
I know that racks can have the top deck unloaded by running them under a low bridge…
BUT… the set of pics I’ve seen show that the racks were mixed into a train and not running as a unit train (here/UK all car transporters run in block trains - then again we have very little mixed traffic… just clogged Motorways).
So do racks get dispersed into small groups, even singles? Are they then unloaded at fixed ramps? Into yards? Straight to dealerships? Onto road transporters? Who unloads them? ???
TIA
[8D]
The racks generally go to a transloading facility, where the cars are driven off the racks, sorted, and then put on road carriers for delivery to the dealership.
Blocks of racks or single racks maybe set off enroute at the rail yard nearest the transloading facility, and then delivered by a local crew.
Nick
Auto racks are typically unloaded using portable ramps. The railroads switch the cars depending on the direction they are loaded, so they will gather 5 or 6 cars of the same type 9bilevel or trilevel) with the autos pointed the same way and a portable ramp is positioned against the end of the cars and the vehicles are driven off level by level.
The most common process in the western US is to have large auto unloading areas that is a large facility completely paved over with several tracks running through it . The auto racks are spotted on the ramp and the protable ramps are positioned and the cars are driven off to huge parking lots, then trucks come and haul the cars away to the dealers. There are smaller operations, some of which only handle a few cars or handle used cars.
A modern trend is for a “mixing center”. Ford ships all its production for the Western US to Kansas City. the vehicles are unloaded and then custom reloaded on the autoracks depending on what the dealers have ordered. The NS operates the reload center, a division of UPS manages the logistics of the reload center. The auto racks are switched into solid unit auto trains for a single destination and the UP hauls the trains to large destination ramps where the individual vehicles are trucked to the dealers. So if a dealer in Houston orders 3 blue Taurus, 4 red Escorts, 2 silver and 5 black Mustangs and 2 green Probes, the NS will haul in solid cars of each model, they order for Houston will be pulled out of that inventory, and that mix of autos will be reloaded on one car and put on the train that runs each day to Houston. Very quick and very efficient.
Dave H.
Dave H’s description is basically how our mixing center operates.
Our mixing center also serves the Port of Wilmington. In addition to unloading new cars for dealerships, we handle cars destined for export. Also, we reload a small number of racks with import cars being moved inland, as well as, used cars being moved to brokers.
Finally, we handle loads from the few assembly plants left in the area. Although, these are loaded at the plant, and don’t go through the mixing center.
Nick
There was a Grumman Olsen plant in Tulare, CA that made bobtail delivery type vans (it is now a Kidron plant and appears to make other types of vehicles). I have noticed autocarriers and an unloading ramp at San Joaquin Valley Railroad’s yard in Exeter, CA. I suspect that they unload (or unloaded) the chassis/cab (and possibly just chassis and motor) assemblies at Exeter and deliver them the the plant at Tulare.
ATSF had the contract w/ New Car Prep in Southern California located in La Mirada (or Santa Fe Springs - forget which) but UP won it about 12-15 years ago and built a huge new facility in Mira Loma CA http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/hra/miraloma.shtml that had multiple tracks with small groups of cars unloaded onto special ramps on the end of each siding. I think the unloading was “circus style”
Cal