Re: (erielack) Trailers-on-flat-car traffic...

["Bill K." <pontiac_@_dreamscape.com>]

You can probably still find in Elmira yard, the two piggyback ramps made
from ancient DL&W flat cars (that may have served a second life as early
single-trailer PB flats, as they've been discussed some before).   Basically
the rails curve downward some at the end of track, and the cars each sit
there shorn of one truck and buried into the ground (I'm sure one car could
be restored between the two) on that end, to form a ramp.

Given the ease of constructing an unloading ramp, I'm sure that they were
pretty common early on even in remote locations, although I would think
shippers discovered quickly enough that it was cheaper and faster to send
single truckloads all the way by truck instead of by rail (or at least to a
major terminal).

Bill K.



- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>
To: "Mailgroup (E-mail)" <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2001 1:29 PM
Subject: (erielack) Trailers-on-flat-car traffic...


> I finally got a chance to start reading the (excellent) Chicago piggyback
> operations article in the Diamond yesterday. One item of note perked up my
> eyebrows, and that was the discussion of TOFC ramps at smaller locales,
such
> as Norwich, NY! I was surprised that such ramps were being used into the
> 1970s.
>
> Does anyone have a complete list of all of EL's smaller ramps? We all know
> Chicago and Croxton, but Norwich? Were there any other smaller ramps
around?
> And when did service to the smaller ramps (like Norwich) end?
>
> By the way, was anyone else confused with the term "TOFC" used in the
> article (an acronym that DOESN'T stand for "trailer on flat car" in the
> context of the article!)
>
> - Paul
>
>
> Paul R. Tupaczewski_______________________
> Lucent Technologies
> Mobility Solutions                              Phone: 973-386-4966
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> Whippany, NJ 07981
> _______________________________________________
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>
>

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