Transfer containers from double-stack to single-stack?

Hello, I have some questions about intermodal operations. I realize this may not be a right place, but it is the only place I can find a big crowd of freight fans.

I'm looking for some industry practices that transfer containers from double-stack trains to single-stack trains. What is the railroad word for this operation? Are there industrial practices of this kind? Where are they and how people do it, using some special cranes? Are there any industry standards for this kind of operations and associated yard design?

I will appreciate any of your inputs.

Boston receives containers as single-stack. The trains of double-stack arrive in Dewitt yard in Syracuse, NY and the train is fileted. I do not know the exact procedure but someone working out at Dewitt might be able to help. With the upgrade of Worcester yard and the closing of Beacon Park in Boston the fileting with stop as both domestic and international double-stacks will be able to come all the way to Worcester.

Double to single-stack conversion terminals are a niche operation limited, to my knowledge, to serve New England. As railman wrote, the first one was developed in Syracuse, NY during the early 1990's by Conrail as a way to deal with clearance restrictions in New England that at the time couldn't be economically justified for elimination. With the clearance restriction now being removed this operation will become unecessary while at the same time Norfolk Southern is spearheading the development of a similar operation outside of Albany, NY, to similarly deal with clearance restrictions in New England. I believe that this will be a unique operation when all is said and done.

While I am unsure specifically how Syracuse currently operates or how Mechanicville is designed, I don't believe that the transfer takes place under crane. While the lift devices may be cranes, I believe that the box is transferred to a "hostler" (truck and chassis) for movement from one flatcar to another given the relatively low volume and the kind of crane technology economically justified, unlike what busy container ports employ. I believe the design has been 2 tracks parallel and seperated by a paved area designed for filleting a stack to waiting empty equipment or "toupeing" from one set of singles onto another set of singles with lift equipment working each track seperately and the hostler trucks moving boxes between tracks. Using conventional design, equipment and operating techniques reflects the temporary aspect over the long run of this type of operation as the carriers look to long-term solutions to eliminate clearance restrictions and then use the terminal and its equipment in conventional ways.

While not designed specifically to transfer from double to single stack, the first "high-tech" rail intermodal classification terminal began operation this year on CSX in North Baltimore, OH. Looks like much of the flatcar-to-flatcar transfer, if not all, takes place via cranes. This is a cutting-edge concept employing new technology unseen up to this point in rail intermodal operations. No doubt all eyes will be on its effectiveness both conceptually and operationally.

Thanks railman and QB for your informative feedback. Wish you all have had a wonderful holiday weekend!

I did an aerial recon at Dewitt Yard and CSX North Baltimore Yard. They are beautiful examples of yards with filleting operations. North Baltimore looks like under construction now. Both yards use cranes. The Dewitt ones are quite small, about 48'. The North Baltimore ones are 300-foot biggies. Very stunning at an inland port. I am kind of wondering why CSX needs a yard of this kind in Ohio. Are there any needs to fillet singles into doubles in this region?

I doubt it, I believe any clearance issues for the stacks have been resolved for some time.

Charlie

charlie6017 wrote:I doubt it, I believe any clearance issues for the stacks have been resolved for some time.

Charlie

CSX's National Gateway project is working to eliminate clearance restrictions between Portsmouth, VA & West Baltimore, MD and North Baltimore, OH - this is a multi year project that will eliminate 61 restrictions that prevent the operation of 20'2" Double Stacks. The most abitious of those projects will be the revisions to the Virgina Avenue Tunnel in Washington DC.

"Fileting" containers can be done for either of two reasons.

First, obviously, is a double-stack train heading to low-clearance territory, such as is done in Syracuse on some trains headed to New England. Due to time and cost considerations, however, this kind of operation is avoided as much as possible...ie, the trains originate in Chicago or North Baltimore as single stack.

The other reason for fileting occurs with multi-block (destination) trains, when not all the containers in some of the cars are going to the same destination. For example, a New England orginating train may have blocks to Chicago, Columbus and East St Louis. On a particular day and train, there may be only 8 containers going to East St Louis, but that block of cars must be located at the rear of the train to minimize switching moves in Syracuse. Unfortunately, on that day, the last two cars are 5-packs, providing 10 positions for single-stacked containers. So, the dilemma...leave 2 empty spots (ensuring each car is 'legal', ie, center bucket open, etc), send 2 empty containers, or put 2 loads to Columbus in the East St Louis car? (or any 1-1 combo). Given that the train will stop and be switched at Syracuse, the 2 Columbus loads will be moved to other Columbus-bound cars from other trains (from New Jersey, perhaps?) and, perhaps, 2 E. St Louis loads from the same 'other trains' be loaded in their place. That way, the most loaded spots leaves Syracuse for each destination. Of course, all the switching and fileting must be completed in a specific time-frame/schedule, to ensure on-time arrivals at each destination.