Hello folks. I'm trying to explain intermodal opperations in a way that Rrrr can relate to them: 1) Images of what it comprises - Containers, Trailers and the cars that carry them 2) Destinations - yards, facilites and factories / wharehouses 3) How others have modeled them in N scale and by extension how we might take some ideas. I'm sure there are lots of threads with intermodal double stacks and trailers and all kinds of great things. Could you please post links to threads or Galleries with samples. I did do a couple of searches on "Intermodal" and "containers" How About a Tribute to Alan Curtis Models? http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=81423&highlight=containers And lots of others but not quite what I had in mind. Thanks!
Do autoracks count as intermodal? Not trying to argue, it makes sense, just wondering if it's commonly regarded as intermodal...The Nscale.net Intermodal forum only seems to talk about TOFC/COFC & doublestacks.
Even though autoracks don't get talked about as intermodal, if the cars are unloaded from the autorack and put on a car carrier to go to the dealership, they should qualify by definition. But then grain unloaded from a truck into a hopper car and then to a boat would also qualify. This principle can obvioulsy trickle down to about anything that gets transported by more than one method to get from point A to point B. If you trust Wikipedia, there is a good distinction made when talking about freight transportation that could explain why TOFC/COFC are singled out as intermodal. From Wikipedia: "using multiple modes of transportation (rail, ocean vessel, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes" But even that leaves room for much debate. Jason
Kell - Thanks! Great link. I look forward to the day I buy _and_ use your products. Auto-racks - you can debate them in this thread but a few links to intermodal would be cool too.
Feel free to check out some layout pics on my railimages page: http://www.railimages.com/gallery/carlschafter I have a few photos showing my intermodal yard and such. If you are interested, I can write up a little thing on how I operate it.
Not sure this helps, but this is a link that James provided me once and it has some good info, pretty specific stuff though. http://members.surfbest.net/intermodal@surfbest.net/INDEX.HTM
I regularlly see autoracks on stack/pig trains (racks, stacks and pigs) on BNSF all the time. Usually attached to domestic stack consists. They may be cars with a higher priority to get to a final destination. And something to add some spice to your trains. With the BNSF, I usually see different trains. These can be summed up as follows.. TOFC: Pure UPS (UPS marked and leased trailers) UPS/LTL (Less Than Trailer load) Carriers LTL carriers COFC: Domestic cans International cans Mixed Then you get mixed trains with domestic cans on the front, with LTL trailers on the end. There might be a few UPS trailers on the rear as well. Once in awhile, we get a garbage train, with just about everything on it. Kel
On that definition, I wouldn't consider autoracks to be intermodal, since the cars are driven (handled) onto the autoracks and then driven out of (handled again) out of the cars. But they ARE built upon 89' intermodal flatcars, and if they are run in intermodal trains (without any other mixed freight) then I guess they could be i'modal.
In Calgary, intermodal operations are mostly stack cars. I never see trailers at all. Typical intermodal trains are 80-90 platforms, mostly double-stack, often with a few 89' COFC thrown in. Stack cars sometimes run in mixed freights, but not nearly as often as autoracks do. Autoracks are most often on the rear of either stack or general freight trains. Sometimes there are dedicated rack trains, and these are some of the shorter mainline trains around at less than 50 cars.
SOT, but what does "EMP" stand for? I know it's co-owned by UP and CSX but even the EMP websites don't even mention what it stands for. It's driving me crazy...
Something like "Equipment Management Pool" ...... Weren't the original owners UP, NS and Conrail ? Hence the yellow, black and blue in the logo - with the Conrail share going to NS following it's carve up.
OK, I'll settle this debate right now. Once and for all. While autoracks run at 70mph with the rest of the COFC and TOFC cars, they are NOT intermodal cars. Not for one second. Intermodal stands for just that, intermodal. Does a car get unloaded from a rack, then placed onto a ship, go across the ocean to another country, get unloaded, then reloaded, and shipped to another country? Year after year?? No. Not even close. Auto racks are rebuilt using an 89' car, but intermodal? Nope. And this is an interesting thing to say also, considing they are most at home on a hotshot intermodal train. But, at the final destination, intermodal goes one way, autoracks another.
Uh, how else do cars get imported? Americans drive Japanese, Korean and German cars (although some Japanese brands are manufactured in the US, there are still some models that do get imported). But I see your point. You should have said though that autoracks are exactly like stock cars, except they carry vehicles and not livestock, and no one considers stock cars to be Intermodal.
