A LONG LOAD PT2

Last week, we saw that the support saddle for the load on the Schnabel car had failed, dropping on the rails. After two big cranes were called in to lift the load, and a new saddle was trucked in, the bad support was replaced, and now, the car is good to go.

After the saddle replacement. Fortunately, there was no damage to the load -or, surprisingly, any major damage to the track. Still, the rails will be inspected fully after the train departs.

The engine for the train, EMDX 1201, is a specially painted demo unit. While the other SD70ACe demos were blue, 1201 is painted in official Caterpillar Yellow, to signify their purchase of EMD in 2010.

The train pulls out of the yard...10 days after its arrival.

The massive car and load combination dominate the yard!

Chris stands by as the train rolls past.

The load is a retort cylinder for Allegheny Refining. It will be used in the refining process to create oil from shale gas.

Once again, the extreme overhang of the car and load fouls the adjacent main on the curve. The load is 67' long, and each half of the Schnabel car is 83' -for a total length of 233'! A long load indeed!