----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Werre
To: [email protected]
. . . . . . . is it likely that a single car would have both the
internatiional and domestic type container in the well?. . . . . . . . .
> > > > > > > > >
A question I had wondered about myself, so I put the question to some real
intermodalistas. Here's the first response, from Mr Hannes himself.
quote
It is quite common in North America to have a domestic container stacked on
top of a sea container. There is certainly no rule against it (provided the
weight capacity of the railcar is not exceeded). Domestic containers will
sometimes be in the bottom position with an international container on top;
although this is more uncommon because domestic containers typically don't
have the stacking capacity of international containers, so they have to be
careful when checking weights to not "squish" the domestic container.
20-footers are always on the bottom because they cannot be safely secured on
top of a 40-footer. 20-footers typically carry very heavy commodities, so
two 20's will oftentimes use up the weight capacity of the stack car, which
is why you frequently see two 20's in the bottom well with nothing on top.
It is very common to see a mix of domestic and international containers on
the same train.
Container trains loaded "on dock" will typically be dedicated to
international containers often consigned to a handful of ocean carriers.
However many other container trains operating in the United States are still
loaded at intermodal terminals that are usually railroad-owned and thus
shared by all the carriers using that railroad (both domestic and
international). Plus it is in the railroad's best interest to do this in
order to maximize train capacity; nobody wants to run partially-filled
trains. The logistics industry thrives on this type of optimization.
Another factor is destination. "Land Bridge" trains running coast-to-coast
will usually consist of exclusively international containers, once again
consigned to a few allied ocean carriers. Trains heading to inland
continental destinations will naturally have a mix of international imports
on board as well as domestic products, so once again there will be a mix of
the two types of containers.
So go ahead and stack that 53' on top of that 40'.
- Matt
endquote
Tom Hawley - Lansing Michigan
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