I’m modeling a dockside scene, and I’m trying to determine what was prototypical for transfer operations in the late 30’s->early 40’s.
When did ship cargo containers that fit on railcars start appearing?
How were goods transferred before this? Were they just carried from the dock->warehouse->reefer?
World War II was when cargo containerization began to appear in widespread use for shipment to the European theater of operations. Prior to that, goods were usually shipped in wooden crates or individual boxes of some type.
Fruits and vegetables were shipped in crates within reefers. Even today, vegetables from California are shipped east in flimsy wooden or cardboard crates that have openings on all sides so cool air can freely circulate around the produce and prevent spoilage.
Really? that far back? I have seen containers on ships as far back as the 50’s but not that far back. i dont ever recall seeing pics of contianers on trains till the 70’s
Question?
I assume that unlike today, containers up to the 70’s were emptied at or near the terminals, where the frieght was transfered to trucks or traincars by hand. This is why containers are never seen on frieght trains or trucks of the period. I dont ever recall seeing container cars until the 70’s and the “energy crisis” when the emphisis to take truck and their trailers off the road and onto trains lead to an emphisis on the “Trailer Trains” (basically modern flats modifed in the 60’s for carrying trailers) of the 70’s and the idea to ship the entire container right from the terminal onto a train and onto its final destination without tranfering the frieght into a traditional boxcar came into being. This lead to the first dedicated container cars built to carry Sea-Train containers. the latest evolution, the Double stacks didnt become common until the 80’s. Am I correct so far or are my dates (like my memory) fuzzy? [:D]
This question should be posted on the Trains forum, those guys know there history.
True, containerization started in the wake of WWII. Both the Alaska RR and the WP&Y played key roles, although these were specialized, non-standard regional systems. Here’s a few links:
http://www.alaskarails.org/stories/ARR-Smith-entire.html
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Intermodal
I remember the first containers starting to show up in the literature around 1970 and saw more personally while living in Germany between 1971 and 1975. They first started showing up in larger quantaties here in the Midwest around 1980. For instance, Caterpillar in Decatur uses lots of them. But these were primarily standard ISO containers for overseas traffic at that point. Domestic containers came into use in the 1980s in large numbers – taller, longer than ISO ones – and grew rapidly toward the end of the 1980s.
So if you’re on the coast, it’s legit to start seeing international standard ISO containers by 1970 and they spread inland in greater numbers as international trade in manufacturing and distribution grows. Of course, intermodal traffic on railroads grew along with this traffic, so looking at sources on that will give you pictures of exactly what’s prototypical when and where.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
The earliest containers on trains I remember seeing were starting back in the mid 70’s. They were always sitting on a standard flatcar and shackled down with chains or very large straps. But they were still unusual. It wasnt untill the early 80’s that dedicated container car trains were on the scene. Before then the Trailer Train was the more common type of this train.
I don’t recall seeing the intermodal containers that we are all so familiar with, until the 80’s. I woud think their rise in popularity is a direct result of increased importing of consumer goods, thus an easy way to move from ship to train and then to semi trailer frame.
Prior to that there was a lot of piggyback traffic, but those trailers are light weight, and only intended for domestic use. The smaller quantities of imports, may have simply justified transloading from containers to trailers. But as imports grew, specialized handling facilities began popping up in ports, giving rise to the need for special railroad cars.
sorry but won’t work for your layout.
Malcom invented the container in mid-50s (he died recently). He was an ex-trucker and spotted a golden opportunity. Railroads were a bit slow to catch on at first.
So earliest would be mid-50s; and they used the old style gantry cranes to lift them and ramps for TOFC. No intermodal yards till much later.
Watching a show about cranes on Discovery Channel last week. They claim the first metal containers for ship to shore use without unloading began in 1967 in California. The even named the port commision that had the idea but I can’t recall which port it was.
If you’re modeling the 30’s - 40’s you are definitely in the pre-container era. Military CONEX boxes (about 8’ cubes) made a limited appearance toward the end of your period, but the standard ‘Truck body without the wheels’ container was still a decade in the future.
I remember that there was quite a dispute between the longshoremen and the teamsters as to who had jurisdiction over container ‘stuffing’ when they were new.
I seen the cranes to
made in china
huge
Big_Boy_4005 .Actually trailers designed to be transported on trailer trains were never light duty but were much heavier than regular trailers. They have to be able to withstand being loaded and unloaded i.e. lifting on and off the train which conventinal road trailers can not stand up to. I am not trying to critisize mearly educate. Please correct me if I am wrong because I allways love to learn new info.