PASSING TRAINS PT 33; KCT35 PT 2

 The conclusion of KCT35...

A rare car, but still seen during the 90's was the VTTX 85' container spine car, converted from a flatcar.

Another conversion from the 80's was the TTEX "Long Runner" drawbar-connected flatcar set. Designed to accommodate the longer trailers of the late 80's/early 90's, this car is an example of a conversion made from two "channel-side" cars, where the second car has had its body widened at one end to allow for the wheel swing of the trailer spanning the two cars. A more common conversion used either a pair of "flush-deck" cars, or one of each (channel and flush), with the flush deck being the second car, thus not needing the widened spot. Like all the other cars in this train, these have become rare today, as all-purpose spine cars and double-stack well cars have taken over. As for the trailers, MS Carriers has since been acquired by Swift.

Another 48' all-purpose spine car, with a mix of 48' trailers -including an orange Schneider National and a BNSF- and one 53' CIE trailer.

Followed by another TTEX paired flatcar. NW Transport is another "fallen flag", having went out business in the late 90's.

A PACER STACKTRAIN 53' container rides a chassis and straddles the drawbar gap between cars. The three 53' trailers is the reason TTX began making these conversions; otherwise only one trailer per car would be carried, instead of three per pair.

A pair of TWIN 45 cars bring up the rear, with a pair of Vermont Railway 45' trailers on the first one.

Another look at the VTTX converted flat. Originally built during the 60's as a TOFC flat car, they became obsolete during the 80's, when 45' trailers become the norm; they could only carry one of these due to the 85' length. Because of this, many of these cars were stripped of their decks -which ran alongside the center sill, instead of across the entire car like conventional flatcars- and converted to COFC-only service with container brackets that allowed any combination of 20' and 40' containers. While effective at prolonging their lifespans, the conversions soon became obsolete again due to the rise of double-stack well cars and articulated spine cars. They were still good for small container shipments, such as military containers and even trash containers, and were often mixed into general freight and merchandise trains.

PASSING TRAINS PT 33; KCT35 PT 1

 In the fall of 1996, run-through UP power could be found on the head-end of several AP&W trains, especially intermodals...

Southern Pacific Dash-9 8110 leads KCT35, the Kansas City-Trenton piggyback intermodal into town.

UP 9575, another Dash-9, follows it's now fellow roster-mate, as the UP acquired the SP earlier that year. The UP also acquired the C&NW, making this time period a colorful one for both UP and AP&W fans!

89'9" flatcars were still in vogue, as they lead the way carrying a variety of trailers, including one with a 53' Swift and a 28' Roadway.

UPS 40' drop frame "Possum-bellies" were also still common, as were CF (Consolidated Freightways) 28' pups, seen here occupying several RTTX triple 28 flatcars.

Another common sight in the 90's was the 48' spine car, seen here with a mix of 45' and 48' trailers.

More 89'8" flats, with both 45' and 28' trailers.

More CF trailers, with an Overnight 28' pup.

The 2000's would bring wholesale changes to the intermodal landscape. Sadly, CF would declare bankruptcy in 2001 and cease operation; Overnight would be purchased by UPS in 2005 and become UPS Freight; the classic 40' UPS drop frame trailers would be gone by the late 2000's; most of the flatcars would be rebuilt for general purpose and pipe loading; and the 48' spine cars -made obsolete by 53' trailers and containers- would be retired or re-built for wind turbine blade hauling.

The rest of KCT35 next week.

PASSING TRAINS PT 32; DBC47 PT3

 The conclusion of DBC47...

More UPS 53' containers.

A 53' spine car, with 28' pup trailers making a "picket fence" out of it. Note the first two trailers are actually 28' containers on chassis'.

A 48' trailer and a 53' trailer on adjacent cars

A Triple 57/Twin 28 spine car carries two 28' trailers per unit, including an older (and soon to be retired) "possum-belly" trailer.

Another 53' UPS trailer. followed by a skirted XTRA Lease trailer. The skirting.helps with aerodynamics for improved fuel efficiency, but have been known to be problematic in intermodal service if they are mounted too close to the sides of the trailer; they must be mounted far enough inboard to allow space for the lifting pads of the loading cranes to avoid damage.

Vermont Railway, Averitt Express and Estes Trucking all have 53' trailers on this car.

A final pair of UPS 28' trailers, including another 28' container/chassis unit and another "possum belly", and a pair of Werner 53' trailers.

The EOT flashes as CBD47 rolls out of town on its way west. Like most AP&W intermodals, DBC47 -and its east-bound companion, CDB47- run on 24 hr schedules. While this makes them competitive with trucks, it also means that these trains need both priority handling and reliable power; hence the assignment of the newest engines and the reduction of stops over the line: this train normally makes only one stop for a crew change/refuel during the entire trip!  

PASSING TRAINS PT 32; DBC47 PT 2

 DBC47 is passing through Hillsdale on its way west to Chicago...

AP&W 517 and GECX 2029 roll their train through town.

Ex-BRAN 6020, now CIEX 2012, carries a grey Matson and a blue Werner container in the "A" unit.

A CIE container and a SEA STAR container share the "C" well, while another Werner container and a CH Robinson container share the "B" well. Blue boxes in a blue well car!

Another CIE Intermodal box, this one a reefer, rides atop a HUB Group box.

More HUB Group boxes in the lower wells, with a USA Trucking container (with BNAU reporting marks) and an ESTES container in the top positions.

A BNSF car carries green HUB Group containers.

More green HUB's with an XPO Logistics box.

The second half of DBC47 is UPS traffic

. A string of 53' containers follows the "conventional" traffic.

Next week, the end of DBC47.

PASSING TRAINS PT 32; DBC47 PT 1

 Another intermodal freight rolls into town...

DBC47, the D.C./Baltimore to Chicago intermodal, is led by brand-new ET44AC 517.

517 shows off her clean looks.

The second engine is re-painted WABTEC/GE demo unit 2029.

The train stops for a rare crew change; normally the change occurs in Columbus, Ohio.

New (in 2017) operator XPO Logistics is aboard, as is another new operator, DRT Logistics.

Swift is old, but Estes Freight is another newbie to the intermodal game.

An older red HUB Group box is in the lower position, while a USA Trucking box is on top.

Another Estes container atop a White Arrow box.

Yet another new intermodal operation is Werner Enterprises Intermodal, featuring blue containers to match their trailers. The days of all-white domestic containers are over!

More colorful containers next week!