Trash Trains - prototype photos and info

I am interested in seeing pictures and drawings of 'trash trains' in the US. If anyone has pointers or links it would be very helpful. No particular railroad wanted - just good pictures and tips, please. I am especially interested in the containers, and details of the cars.

Thanks very much, in anticipation, for all the help.

Regards

Peter Harris

 

CSX trash train in Rocky Mount, NC, Dec, 2006. It smelled, too! Pulled by two big CSX Dark Future, six axle GEs. I believe this is New York trash headed for South Carolina. Exporting jobs, you know.





In the interests of full disclosure, I will admit that Chessie told me what kind of train this was. He knew all about that railfanning stuff! See the shadows in the first two pictures? Chessie told me to "Stand here," and there are no shadows in the last two pictures. Always good to know the expert. Thanks, Chessie!

 

Flash Blackman

Excellent views - thanks. I was intrigued to see the different containers on this train.

I was expecting the 20ft single height ones - but the last two photos have double height single containers - that appear to be side opening. Are these more common than the smaller containers now?

Thanks for the help.

Peter

 

Those are just some of the variations on the theme. Type of car or container depends on the loading facility and the unloading facility. The containers shown are usually pre-loaded with trash then loaded onto the railcars or loaded while on the cars, transported to or near the landfill/disposal area, then usually off-loaded by giant forklifts and sent to the dumping area by truck.

In some operations former unit coal train cars are used and are loaded directly from trucks at a transload and dumped directly out at the disposal site. This is the easiest method but requires the most facility expense at the disposal end (rotary car dumper)

Garbage is getting to be big business for railroads, especially in the Northeast. New York City trash moves by rail from the Bronx almost daily and also from sites in New Jersey.(after being trucked or barged there)

 

The trash trains out here in Seattle/Tacoma use 20' 40' and 60' tainers some old shipping tainers with the tops cut off and have nets or tarps straped over the tops. Also there are new tainers made just for trash they tend to be the 60' all are loaded onto well cars 20' dubbled in wells with 40' or 60' on top or spline cars with 20' dubbled end to end or 40' singled.

Most of the power for the trash train is the leased stuff or older high power stuff

 

Are the ones in WA the same type of cars as the photos earlier in this thread - 20' containers in double - single - single double stack on an artic spine car?

Regards

Peter

 

Attached are two snaps of Trash trains on the Columbia River in 1999.
Poor scans I'm afraid, but you can see the make-up of the train.

 

I think the people who might complain live in populated areas, and assume that the open countryside smells like that normally......:laugh:

 

Much like these in the photos even some loaded on bulkhead flats!

The tainers are loaded at wast stations, tainers are on trailer frames parked under a pit/hole in a cement floor wher the garbage is dumped then trucked to a loading point lifted off the trailer frame with a huge forklift made for picking up containers then put on/in well cars or spline cars or if need a flat car or bulkhead flat and straped down one of the companys is WM wast mangement (sp)

I think the photos are taken near Wishram WA. ( thats Mt. Adams in the back round) where there is a dump for the stuff!

 

The EPIC containers were built for sludge - ?? - Yes ?

Are they used for 'trash' as well ?

Harold,

Are those containers for Sludge? I found an article online about them.
OR - do they haul trash too? DO yo know where they were headed.

If loaded w/ sludge they would have been limited to three per spine, per article.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...92/ai_11542805

most interesting. wonder how many of these are on the rails.......

another builder:
http://www.johnstownamerica.com/products/fcp_abc.htm

 

This is what I used to see coming through Vancouver Wa
When I lived in Portland 2001-2004.

Power was usually GP59s or 53s (the extended cab?)

 

Here's another thread on trash/sludge trains:

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?p=381570#post381570