I have a lot of 28 foot piggyback trailers and am looking for the correct way to off load them from their flat cars…I have seen the ramp from Tyco…Anyone out there remember how they off loaded these trailers??
July Model Railroader, page 61, has a picture. Beautiful model. There was another thread about a week ago on the same topic.
Sure …they used a machine called a piggy packer. This monster of a fork-life was made by Letourneau. Can’t seem to find a picture of this machine at this time. I’ll find one and post a link to this machine.
I think a company from Germany make resin HO kits of these machines .
Patrick
Beaufort,SC
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}
Melchoir,
Heres the link for a picture of the letourneau piggy packer.
http://www.alaskarails.org/historical/whittier-80-90/DF-piggy.jpg
Patrick
Beaufort,SC
DRSC
Thanks Patrick for the picture and information…This looks kind of modern…Any ideas how they did it in the late 50’s and early 60’s…Appreciate any replies…Michael
Sorry…have no idea how they did it that far back. My best guess is ramps.
Patrick
Thanks Patrick…I found another thread posted g one trailer at a time…Thanks for your interest. If you’re a Dad…Happy Father’s Day…Michael
The first piggyback operations loaded and unloaded “circus train” style, with a tractor backing over an entire string of flats to spot or pick up each individual trailer. Gaps between cars were (temporarily) bridged with either hinge-up or removeable plates (correct nomenclature needed and welcomed) and the trailers rode on their own grounding wheels or stilts until the advent of collapsible fifth wheel anchors in the late '50’s.
The entire ground plant consisted of one or more straight tracks ending at a ramp, a dedicated tractor (which frequently had special modifications for the job) and a bare space where tractors could be parked. Lighting could have been tower lights, or something similar to street lights.
Loading early trailers with a modified forklift would have damaged the trailers, which weren’t designed for that kind of stress.
Chuck
There are actually two ways intermodal trailers are handled, both from overhead. The first is the sideloader or “Piggy Packer” type. In addition to LeTournea, I know they are made by Taylor, MiJack, Kalmar,and Caterpillar, among others that I can’t remember or spell. The Caterpillar V1100CTH equipped with a Mandigger spreader and ELME container beams is the model I am familar with. I believe it is based on a Swedish design and serviced by Cat in the US. I think Walthers still sells a sideloader based on a Kalmar container handler. The trailer handling legs would have to be scratchbuilt.
The other type of trailer handler used is the overhead or stradle crane style, MiJack being one of the primary builders. I know that NS Rutherford near Harrisburg,Pa and BNSF Willow Springs use overhead cranes. They are generally accepted to be faster than a sideloader in the hands of an experienced operator. The sideloaders advantage is its manueverability for moving and stacking containers away from the loading track. The Kalmbach tape on intermodal operations has views of both in operation.
Also, Walthers made a model of a straddle style crane and Model Railroader had a series of articles in the past on how to scratchbuild one.
trains on locaton also has a video on RRs and intermodal. melchoir if you find Kalmbach has book on modelling intermodal operations, also lists model manufacterers and kits that you can use. also has a history of intermodal and TTX co.
tom
Melchoir,
If these are the Athearn “Pup” trailers, then they are of relatively modern design, and would get relatively modern unloaders. If you look at them and they have external bracing and are very squared off in appearance, then they are the pups.
If they have slightly rounded noses on the trailers, then they are the old style TOFC’s (24’), and would be loaded, 2 to a 50’ flat.
In 1937, the first modern intermodel service started on the Chicago Great Western. Later that year, the New Haven sent representatives to the CGW to see what was going on. These reps were so impressed that they immediately recommended that the NH should build TOFC ramps in Boston and New York City and start service ASAP. Before the end of the year, the NH started their “Trailiner” service. Eventually, ramps were built at Providence and Springfield (MA). The NH became the No. 1 intermodel RR in North America from 1937 until SP bought into TOFC in the mid-1950’s. The NH even had special cabooses for this service: http://www.nhrhta.org/cgi-bin/i/wayne_stuff/Trailliner%20NE-5largew.jpg
The NH started with 50’ flats of conventional style (seen here: http://www.nhrhta.org/cgi-bin/i/wayne_stuff/FLAT17264W.jpg ), and two 24’ trailers (the standard of the day) could be loaded (note the single large bridge plate at one end of the flat). During WWII, the NH bought 54’ flats to handle the new standard 26’ trailers. After the war, the new trailer length went up to 32’. The NH in response ordered new 40’ flats (seen here: http://www.nhrhta.org/cgi-bin/i/wayne_stuff/FLAT17809W.jpg ) for one trailer per flat loading.
By 1955, the new standard of 35’ trailers was in effect, and the NH (and Erie, SP, etc.) tried out the Clejan system for TOFC, which meant that all trailers had to have small dolly wheels added to ride on the I-beams that made up the flat car’s sill. Unfortunately, the ACF hitch came out shortly thereafter, making the Clejan a dead end in TOFC development.