(erielack) LCL Shipments

[Erielack1_@_aol.com]

Less Then Carload shipments have not been handled by the nations railroads 
now for about 45 years or so. Before the rise of the LTL trucking industry 
the railroads collected box cars of LCL shipments from freight houses through 
out a given area and moved these cars back to a central location that was 
called a transfer station. Here the box cars when unloaded and shipments 
where centralized into cars going to other on line stations or to off line 
LCL transfer stations. The inbound cars from the freight houses where then 
loaded with LCL freight received inbound at the transfer station and loaded 
back to a local freight house. This on-line movement between the transfer 
station and the local freight houses often kept many older wooden box cars in 
service far longer then if they where used in interchange service. Many of 
the photos taken in the 1950's of wooden DLW box cars in local freights where 
cars in LCL service. 
Many of the high priority freight trains that handled reefers also handled 
LCL traffic. This business was very labor intensive with freight house labors 
loading and unloading cars though out the system plus the need for the 
shipper or consignee to come to the freight house with their freight. A truck 
picked and delivered right to the door. The railroads did make partnerships 
with local trucking companies to provide this service. Still the railroads 
costs where higher then the truckers and they begun to get out of the 
business. The Lackawanna held onto its LCL business as long as it could until 
its connecting carriers drooped LCL and it no longer could offer the routings 
need to compete with the truckers.
Bob Stafford

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