Any news/carloads to TC over past few weeks?

[C&O6088]

About a month ago, a few posts on the lumber yard in Bates opening and a few carloads of lumber sent up to them. Also, a bunch of old box cars sent up and speculation that they were to be scrapped up there and sent back. Haven't heard a chirp from TC way in awhile, just looking for an update from our TCJohn TCBrent friends.

C&O

[KC]

22 cars stored at Boardman Yard. Mostly 3 bay sand cars, WSSX, GLC and TSBY. Also a few TSBY boxcars. Appear to be being stored. Doubtful they would scrap cars there when its been done before right in Cadillac at North Yard.


Lumber again flowing into Bates. Usually at least one trip a week, 1-2 cars from what I've seen.
Been told that the railraod crew waits for centerbeams to get unloaded and then pull the empty right back with them.
Saves on carhire rates. Sounds like good customer service.

Heres a view of the 389 parked at Walton Jct. on Labor day with one empty centerbeam from Amerhart.



http://www.amerhart.com/


Kelly

[Rick in TC]

2n centerbeams (WC) and a Railbox a couple weeks ago. Like KC said, GLC stays until centerbeams are unloaded, but not fo rthe box cars (take a lot longer to unload I guess).

[Raildudes dad]

2n centerbeams (WC) and a Railbox a couple weeks ago. Like KC said, GLC stays until centerbeams are unloaded, but not fo rthe box cars (take a lot longer to unload I guess).

Center-beam car hire rates are (at least they used to be) the highest, last I knew (too many years ago) center-beams were about $3.00 per hour. Can't remember what box car rates were but they were much lower. At about $75 per day, it doesn't take many days sitting idle to cut into the bottom line.

[jukeman45]

GLC should get a Semi/Hirail truck like the CN track Dept. uses to haul those cars.

[MIGN-Todd]

I've watched Amerhart guys unload the ceterbeams while I wait to load as well. They are quick. The boxcars are a pain in the ass- mostly specialty plywoods like CDX. I went inside one of the Railbox cars they had there once and the bunks were stacked on top of each other on one side of the car. Next to them against the other wall, the bunks were stacked on end which makes for a tricky unload and a time consuming one. That's a big reason the boxes are left there. When we recieved centerbeams at our old shop (Wickes) in Grawn, we could unload it in about an hour if we were moving pretty good and there wasn't any snow.

[AARR]

2n centerbeams (WC) and a Railbox a couple weeks ago. Like KC said, GLC stays until centerbeams are unloaded, but not fo rthe box cars (take a lot longer to unload I guess).

Center-beam car hire rates are (at least they used to be) the highest, last I knew (too many years ago) center-beams were about $3.00 per hour. Can't remember what box car rates were but they were much lower. At about $75 per day, it doesn't take many days sitting idle to cut into the bottom line.

Who pays the car-hire? Customer or railroad?

[AARR]

I've watched Amerhart guys unload the ceterbeams while I wait to load as well. They are quick. The boxcars are a pain in the ass- mostly specialty plywoods like CDX. I went inside one of the Railbox cars they had there once and the bunks were stacked on top of each other on one side of the car. Next to them against the other wall, the bunks were stacked on end which makes for a tricky unload and a time consuming one. That's a big reason the boxes are left there. When we recieved centerbeams at our old shop (Wickes) in Grawn, we could unload it in about an hour if we were moving pretty good and there wasn't any snow.

I didn't realize there were centerbeams around when Wickes in Grawn still received rail service. Can you recall how long ago that was? I would have guessed they hadn't received rail service since the early 1990's or even earlier.

[Raildudes dad]

2n centerbeams (WC) and a Railbox a couple weeks ago. Like KC said, GLC stays until centerbeams are unloaded, but not fo rthe box cars (take a lot longer to unload I guess).

Center-beam car hire rates are (at least they used to be) the highest, last I knew (too many years ago) center-beams were about $3.00 per hour. Can't remember what box car rates were but they were much lower. At about $75 per day, it doesn't take many days sitting idle to cut into the bottom line.

Who pays the car-hire? Customer or railroad?

It's my understanding the customer usually gets 48 hours to unload, after that the car hire kicks in for the customer to pay. However, if the customer releases the car for pickup within 48 hours and the RR doesn't pick it up, the RR gets to eat the car hire. Car hire applies to cars with RR reporting marks only, not privately owned cars (end with X). It behooves the RR to get the center-beams to the customer ASAP and back to interchange ASAP since they pay the car hire for the time it's on-line.

[KC]

Heres a couple of views of Wickes Lumber at Grawn. First is a shot taken from the TSBY's mainline looking into the Wickes siding. Spring 1994.



Next view is from July of 1998. Taken from US31, of a empty Union Pacific centerbeam spotted on the Wickes siding.



Kelly

[AARR]

Thanks RDD and Kelly!

I'll update my notes about Wickes in Grawn

[MIGN-Todd]

I've watched Amerhart guys unload the ceterbeams while I wait to load as well. They are quick. The boxcars are a pain in the ass- mostly specialty plywoods like CDX. I went inside one of the Railbox cars they had there once and the bunks were stacked on top of each other on one side of the car. Next to them against the other wall, the bunks were stacked on end which makes for a tricky unload and a time consuming one. That's a big reason the boxes are left there. When we recieved centerbeams at our old shop (Wickes) in Grawn, we could unload it in about an hour if we were moving pretty good and there wasn't any snow.

I didn't realize there were centerbeams around when Wickes in Grawn still received rail service. Can you recall how long ago that was? I would have guessed they hadn't received rail service since the early 1990's or even earlier.

Don, the last one we got in was a fluke- wasn't supposed to be shipped by rail. I think it was around 1998 or 2000 (could have been after the switch to UBC- we were at the old location by Cox distributing). We heard at the last minute that it was coming so we had to move a ton of stuff out of the way. We had it unloaded fast with two fork trucks going at it. Used to have a picture of it but that's long gone. Hampton Lumber centerbeam or Union Pacific- it was dark brown

[MIGN-Todd]

Hmm... just saw the picture of it- Thanks KC! The last one I remembered us getting was in the winter though. Wickes hated Rail service because the Railroad could never tell us when it would get there. We couldn't wait for materials so we just went to (then) Schultz, Snyder and Steele and picked up a truckload at a time. By the time the Railcar showed up, we were way over stocked. As you can see by the picture, the bunks were stacked under the overhead and all the loose dimensional lumber that we built loads with was exposed to the elements- that ticked our contractors off. We had to try and keep wrapped lumber under cover because if it got wet- everything turned moldy and you wouldn't know it until you unwrapped the bunk of studs.