Does anyone have any information on what happened to the Vert-A-Pac (Vertical Car Carriers) that GM and SP came up with in the 70’s to transport sub compact cars?
The Vert-a-Pac was one of those ‘good ideas that wasn’t.’ I understand that they had problems with leaking fluids (battery acid and motor oil) that did more damage to the vehicles than the $$$ gain in capacity over ordinary (at that time standard) double-deck racks could justify.
Also, the fittings were pretty much vehicle model specific, and the vehicles had to have added strength members just so they could be stood on end. After a careful perusal of the bottom line, the bean counters decided that the Vert-A-Pac deserved to join the dodo and the passenger pigeon…
Chuck
If I remember correctly, they were converted to regular auto carriers.
The were constructed to transport the Chevrolet Vega being built the the Lordstown, OH assembly plant. The Vega was a rush design, the Lordstown plant was a rush construction project to build the Vega and it would appear that the Vert-a-Pac’s were a rush idea to increase shipping capacity.
All in all a rush to oblivion.
Thanks all for the replies.
…Believe those cars carried 15 Vegas per side…
There’s a fair amount of info out there on the Vert-A-Pacs.
It was an SP/General Motors development, but a lot of carriers had those with their own markings. The design was a disappointment, but not as big a one as the the autos they carried, which were arguably one of the great mileposts on GM’s long downward spiral. The Vegas (and their badge-engineered Pontiac Astre cousins) were also built at the old South Gate plant near Los Angeles.
Check for prior threads on this board–the rail car and its cargo have previously gotten a pretty thorough going-over (to use nice words!) here.
If you Google “Vert-A-Pac” you can see some interesting pictures. If you’re a modeler, ExactRail has come out with great-looking HO and N versions.
Does anyone have a copy of the General Motors document that was issued for the unloading and servicing of the Vega prior to its being sold? Or, perhaps, know where a copy can be obtained? GM can’t seem to be bothered since they can’t charge the millions need to get them out of bankruptcy.
Just a couple of ideas on that:
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If you know anyone working at a long-established Chevrolet or Pontiac dealer, the company MIGHT have a dusty old manual on the back shelf. It’s a reach, but who knows?
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Another possible source could be a Vega/Astre owners group, if one exists. A member might have access to just such a book, or know how to get one from GM’s archives.
There is a pretty good photograph of partially loaded Vert-a-Pac cars on page 6.
http://www.exactrail.com/insider/ExactRail_Insider_Vol_1_HR.pdf
Question 1) The answer is that this was idea 1 step 1. Idea 1a was any existing auto ramp history files that auto ramps might have kept. Idea 1c was contact GM directly. The response from GM was a bit scary - aparently they own the rights to the superstructure and got the idea that I was trying to steal it from them. No amount of explaining would suffice.
Question 2) Well, if you know of one that will speak with someone that is not a VEGOPHILE, again, thinking I am attempting to steal some precious secret …
GM put out a Service Bulletin that described what the auto ramp personal were to do once the car was moved from verticle to horizontal so that it could be forwarded on to the dealer. The dealer was also supposed to have a copy to - just in case. It is this service bulletin that I wish to look at.
Ref.: #2 Yes, most or all of the people in that group would tend to be those blindly in love with the automobiles. Personally, if I’d ever bought a Vega or Astre, I’d probably be trying to blot out the memory of maybe the worst new car I ever owned, not reminiscing about how great it was or is! HOWEVER, those owner-group people might be an excellent source of information, and might be happy to share what they know. They wouldn’t really have any reason to display the weird paranoia you got from the General.
When the Vega was properly put together with the type and quality of parts it should have been made with, it could be (and often was) one real hot vehicle. From what I have heard about them, however, that was less that 1% of the vehicles.
I don’t think these folks care about how the vehicles were transported or what modifications were made to their vehicles to travel nose-down. Their focus … I don’t know what word to use … well, they don’t care. It seems to be byond their realm of comprehension that someone actually had to make these items; transport? I don’t think they even have a concept of that.
Anyway, thanks for your attention and good intentions.
All I want for Christmas is my GM Service Bullitin - no matter what day it mar arrive.