Mining Transportation Technical Report

“Intermodal freight transport involves transportation of freight in intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation.” In this particular section of the report, one is going to discus about the arrangement of style of transporting the containers.

Containers can be loaded on flatcars or in container well cars to be transferred from place to place. In North America, the two most common container arrangements are Double stack arrangement and Piggyback arrangement. Over 70% of the American railroad transportation is double stack arrangement. Applying the double-stack arrangement, containers are shipped by rail in a container well car, which resemble flatcars. However, the newer ones have a container-sized depression or well in the middle of the car, which sufficiently allows for greater clearance for such arrangement of Double Stacking. Double-stack cars come in different sizes, which depends on the standards sizes of the containers they are designed to carry. For example, well lengths of 40ft, 48ft, and 53ft are the most common models. The height of double stack arrangement can arrange from 18ft to 20 ft, provide by CSX transportation first class railroad, United State.

Piggyback arraignment is also known as TOFC (trailer on flatcar), which transports semi-trailers on railway flatcars or spine cars. To distinguish from double stack arraignment, this kind of arrangement allowing trailers to be rolled on and off of flatcars. However, this has to be done by specialized loaders. Hence, TOFC terminals typically have larger areas for storing trailers pending loading or pickup trailers.

In terms of the gauge sizes, these two types of arrangements require larger gauge sizes. The following are the advantages of obtaining a larger gauge sizes. First, the railroads are more stable in case of dramatic elevation differences between tracks. Moreover, with larger gauge size, it is easier to design for bends in turns and allows larger engine designs,...