Hi, y'all! I tried searching for this in the search function but could find no answer. Does anyone know why so many of the stack trains (container trains w/ well cars) on Sand Patch are only single stacked? I don't think that it is a clearance issue because I do occasionally see a stack train car with two 20' containers in the bottom of the well with a 40' over both of them. Could it be because most of the containers are so heavy that they top-out the weight of the cars??? I don't know. Maybe some of you have some insights on this!
Clearances east of Willard Oh on the former B&O toward Baltimore are not sufficient to clear 20'2" stacks and autoracks. I believe maximum height is 19'3". International containers have a smaller dimension than domestic containers, so those will clear when stacked. Domestics doubled, or an international with a domestic will not clear either.
The CSX Intermodal facility for Baltimore is at Sea Girt Marine Terminal, which must be accessed through the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore....estimates are that it will be a $2B project to increase the tunnel clearance to permit 20'2" Double Stacks.
Thank you for your replies. SO, please confirm if I understand y'all correctly, those rare double-stacked well cars that I see on Sand Patch w/ two 20' containers on the bottom and with a 40' on top and no higher that 19'3", right? I didn't realize there were tunnel clearence issues in Baltimore and in Ohio. Thank you again!
The new intermodal facility being constructed in North Baltimore, OH is a part of the solution to this problem. BNSF and UP will not accept trains from CSX unless they are fully stacked. Single container trains that come from the east will come into this facility and be consolidated into double stack trains and then can be directly handed off to the western roads. Coming east, the fully stacked trains can then be set up for lower eastern clearances and further broken down by more direct destination. I believe international containers are 8' high, so 2 stacked would be 16 feet with 3 foot clearance between top of rail and inside bottom of the well.
I thought a car with doubled 9'6" containers rode 20'2" high, consistent with other information I read that the lower container rides only 14" above the rail. Containers come in 8', 8'6", 9' and 9'6" heights AFAIK. I'm not sure what the highest international containers are, but higher than 8' as I know they're not all the same height.
All I know for sure is that double stacked international containers will fit just about anywhere. I'm not sure on height above rail, I'm just a flunky locomotive engineer. I'm sure there are other experts on here that can provide the exact information to answer all the questions. I said "I believe", not "I know".
I believe the confusion here is stemming from what's considered an 'international' container. A 40' 8'6" box is even today still considered the 'international' container... though 40' high-cubes (9'6") are becoming more and more commonplace...
