Contents Introduction ......................................... 4 Chapter 1 History of container and piggyback traffic................. 5 Chapter 2 Piggyback trailers .................................... 16 Chapter 3 Containers ......................................... 28 Chapter 4 Trailer and container flatcars ........................... 42 Chapter 5 Double-stack container cars............................ 56 Chapter 6 Spine and skeleton cars ............................... 70 Chapter 7 Roadrailers and Flexi-Vans ............................. 79 Chapter 8 End-loading terminals ................................ 91 Chapter 9 Modern intermodal terminals.......................... 103 Chapter 10 Intermodal operations ............................... 115 Bibliography ....................................... 125 About the author ................................... 127 Two Minneapolis & St. Louis trailers with the railroad’s Piggyback Quick slogan roll through a Midwestern town on an 85-foot Trailer Train flatcar in 1961. The M&StL had been merged into the Chicago & North Western the year before, but its trailers were carrying on the service. J. David Ingles collection INTRODUCTION Piggyback and container traffic articles listed there present highly Modeling represents a fascinating—and very detailed information on prototype When modeling, all facets of modelable—part of railroad history equipment, as well as in-depth, step- intermodal traffic from any era from and operations. Trailer-on-flatcar by-step instructions and photos for the 1930s to the present are accessible. (TOFC) began booming in the modeling trailers, railcars, and related A wide variety of railcars, trailers, mid-1950s. With the coming of accessories. containers, and loading equipment international shipping containers in the Railroad historical societies is available in HO and N scales, in late 1960s, trailer and container traffic are another excellent source of particular. (together, they comprise intermodal) information. Most publish periodicals, Many small manufacturers have grew to become the largest revenue and many of these contain detailed produced resin or limited-run kits for source for railroads today. articles on a railroad’s trailer and obscure trailers and other equipment, No one book can detail every container operations, including although some of these are no longer facet of each railroad’s history and history, equipment, train schedules, available (or were discontinued operations, or cover all the variations and basic train operations. Some many years ago). However, don’t be of every type of flatcar, double-stack, societies have articles, photos, and discouraged. If a model has been or spine car. Entire books have been reference information available on produced, it’s available somewhere. written about a single equipment type their websites. Check eBay and other online auction or class. This book is meant to be a Check various websites. A simple sites and shops (eBay lets you save a guide for your overall modeling efforts, Google search will yield many search and will send you a message and it covers the highlights (worrying photographs and potential sites, but when something matching your search about detailed spotting features and be aware that the quality of individual criteria is listed). minutia would have meant omitting websites can range from excellent to Whether it’s modeling a complete other features). sketchy. Try to find as many sources as modern lift terminal, solid trains of The bibliography on page 125 possible to verify information. Websites piggyback and container traffic, a lists the key sources used, and they of model manufacturers and prototype small-town loading ramp, or just a can provide you with more detailed manufacturers are a good source for few trailers on trains passing through, information about various car types details on current equipment, and some almost any layout will benefit from and other equipment. Many of the have additional historical information. adding intermodal models. 4 16 A westbound double-stack train heads west on Union Pacific’s double-track main line through Nebraska in 2006. the 1920s—fizzled out because of over- late 1960s, Sea-Land had a fleet what was comparatively small share of regulation, but containerized freight of more than 30 ships and 27,000 the market. There was also the issue would eventually revolutionize both containers, and it was sailing routes to of dock workers, who knew their jobs international and domestic shipping. Germany, Scotland, the Netherlands, would be eliminated. Although there were many abortive Hong Kong, Thailand, and the attempts at shipping with containers, Philippines. Standardization credit for the concept and successful In the meantime, a few railroads The answer would come, as it execution of using a large (truck trailer had dabbled in container traffic, did for piggyback, in the form of size) container that could be transferred including the Southern, Missouri standardization. As early as the late from a ship to railcar to truck goes Pacific, Baltimore & Ohio, and New 1950s, there was talk of adopting to Malcolm McLean, a trucker from York Central. Most met with minimal standard container sizes. In the North Carolina. success, with the exception of NYC’s United States, a subcommittee of McLean knew transferring unique Flexi-Van system (more on that the National Defense Transportation containers directly would save in chapter 4). Association (NDTA) met in 1958 and transloading time and thus money—a A limitation for containers through recommended that containers be 20 or significant challenge in dealing with the 1960s was that each container 40 feet in length (maximum U.S. trailer large cargo ships. In the early 1950s, system—including Sea-Land’s, those length had just been stretched to 40 after unsuccessfully trying to peddle his of other shipping companies, and each feet), 8 feet wide, and 8 feet tall. idea to steamship companies, McLean railroad’s—was proprietary, 14. Each There was international interest finally just did it himself. He sold his used a unique container size, required in the idea as well, and Sea-Land trucking company and worked with different highway chassis, and used and several other companies were Fruehauf to develop 35-foot containers. different means of stowing aboard in favor—although there was some He then bought the Pan-Atlantic ships. Containers required special disagreement on what the standards Steamship Company and several old cradles on flatcars or, more commonly, should be. In 1965, size standards were World War II-era T-2 tankers and simply rode on chassis as piggyback officially adopted by the International had them rebuilt to carry the new trailers. Organization for Standardization containers. Thus, even though McLean’s (commonly referred to as ISO), On April 26, 1956, one of the business flourished, and rival shipping resulting in what has become known as 524-foot refitted tankers—christened lines began copying the idea, container the international or ISO container. The the Ideal X—made its first revenue trip, freight still represented a small fraction standard was for containers 8 feet wide carrying 58 loaded containers from of international shipping. Most ports and 8 feet tall, with lengths of 10, 20, Newark, N.J., to Houston. couldn’t easily handle containers, and 30, and 40 feet. (The most common, McLean’s venture (renamed Sea- weren’t willing to make the investment by far, would become the 20- and Land in 1961) was a success. By the in cranes and other alterations for 40-footers.) 14 17 BNSF’s Logistics Park Kansas City opened in 2013. It covers more than 400 acres and features five 90-foot-tall cranes serving six 8,000-foot-long working tracks. BNSF A key part the standard, adopted growing number of international in 1967, was the connecting system. containers. The double-stack well Intermodal timeline Based on Sea-Land’s containers, the car, introduced in 1981, greatly standard called for oval slots located at improved the efficiency of transporting 1926: North Shore begins LCL each container’s top and bottom corner. containers. Within a few years, double- piggyback service These slots would accommodate a turn- stacks were carrying international 1936: Chicago Great Western begins lock connector (an IBC, for inter-box and domestic containers on routes long-haul TOFC service with connector; also called a twist-lock) to throughout North America, 16. common carrier trailers allow containers to be stacked, and to Piggyback trailer traffic was 1955: First run of Pennsylvania RR provide standard connection points for declining, and much of what railroads dedicated TrucTrain service truck chassis, railcars, and overhead were hauling were common-carrier and 1956: Trailer Train Co. (now TTX) loaders, 15. leased trailers, with a lot of domestic begins operations This standardization made possible intermodal traffic moving to containers. 1956: First container ship makes the wholesale adoption of containers By 2010, there were few railroad- revenue trip by international and domestic shipping owned trailers left. 1965: ISO container standards companies, railcars from multiple As shown in the chart on page 12, established manufacturers that could handle total annual container loadings first 1981: Double-stack well cars debut containers from any shipper, and the surpassed trailers in 1992. By 2000, on Southern Pacific ability to easily move containers among containers made up 74 percent of 1991: Trailer Train officially becomes ships,