A question about US and European boxcars

[Pendolino]

I hope our U.S. Trainzers friends can provide an explanation to an issue that is puzzling me.

I noticed that, besides the higher load capacities allowed by the higher axle loads in the U.S., which are approx. 1.5 times the European standard (22.5 metric tons/axle = approx. 50,000 lbs), the arrangement of most freight cars is very similar (e.g. flatcars, gondolas, tank cars, hoppers).

In Europe, conventional boxcars (i.e. with loading doors) are disappearing and are being replaced by "sliding wall" boxcars (the "SJHabbins941", <kuid:-1:101204>, built-in in TS2010 and in previous versions). This type of car is far easier to load than conventional boxcars, as forklifts can quickly load palletized cargo with no need to enter the car itself. I have never seen, however, nothing similar on U.S. railroads.

Is there some reason that I am not able to see preventing the use of this arrangement? I don't think structural strength is a factor, as this type of cars is used to carry heavy loads such as paper rolls, so I am puzzled about the reason this arrangement is not used in the U.S.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

 

[Euphod]

Well, there is the Thrall All Door Boxcar, which has a 25' opening, mostly for lumber, but centerbeam flat cars with wrapped, weather proof loads have taken most of the loads they used to carry.
There probably is a Union rule which requires forklift operators in the US to physically enter the rail car in order to get some "premium loading pay" or some such. Everything here is such a scam, I wouldn't be surprised...

 

[mrreet]

In the US we use a LOT of intermodal boxes.

In most of the areas I have rail-fanned in the last few years intermodal trains our number general box freight at least 2 to 1 and sometimes it's closer to 10 to 1.

We get a lot of unit hopper (grain, bulk plastic), tank (oil, gasses), or gondola (coal, coke, scrap, stone), but we hardly ever get box cars that aren't intermodal.

 

[whitepass]

SP had some all door 50' box cars.

 

[JCitron]

In the US we use a LOT of intermodal boxes.

In most of the areas I have rail-fanned in the last few years intermodal trains our number general box freight at least 2 to 1 and sometimes it's closer to 10 to 1.

We get a lot of unit hopper (grain, bulk plastic), tank (oil, gasses), or gondola (coal, coke, scrap, stone), but we hardly ever get box cars that aren't intermodal.

This is big out in the Midwest from what I saw when I was out storm chasing the past few years. Back here in northeastern New England, we still have a lot of general freight in boxcars. The intermodals seem to only go as far as Ayer and Boston.

John

 

[schweitzerdude]

One use of boxcars that probably won't go away

Many years ago I worked for a large printing company that consumed rolls of paper that weighed approximately 2000 lbs each, delivered by boxcar. Obviously they have to be protected from the weather. Our company had it's own tiny locomotive (don't ask me what it was called) to move the box cars around to be unloaded by specialized forklifts with semi-circular roll clamps on each side.

 

[simulatortrain]

As some of the others have said, we do have all-door boxcars, mostly for lumber and wood products. Beyond that, there is just little need for the extra expense and engineering of all-door cars, especially since many cars are in product-specific service anyway.