I am still tweaking my industries and working on a switch list generator and need some help on how long does it typically take to load/unload the cars that I will be using.
Business - car type - operation
Rope manufacturer- 6200 cuft plastic pellet covered hoppers - 2 cars - unload gravity/air
Cold storage/distribution warehouse - 57' reefers and newer trincool reefers - 2 cars - unload with forklift
trans-load track - covered hopper grain - one car - unload to truck
trans-load track - 73' centerbeam flat - one car - unload to truck
trans-load track - cement hopper - one car - unload to truck
trans-load track - pulp car - one car - load with loader or truck
scrap yard - 50-60' gondola - one car - load with crane/magnet
Beverage dealer - 50-60' boxcar - one car - unload with forklift
I'm guessing that each depends on the equipment being used to unload.
In an instance, the refeers/tricools, boxcars, would depend on how many forklifts the company assigned to work the rail dock. One each car for the cold storage. Maybe two each if they are available. If you're going for operation, it would be cool to add a twist, such as lunch breaks, or a broken down forklift or a driver calling in sick that day.
The plastic pellet car would be unloaded by a vacuum system, making it quick. But there are some plastic manufacturers that don't have storage silos, and use the pellets right off the car, especially if they use only one type of plastic, so cars will sit on the siding for days before being switched out. A rope company would probably use this method, depending on manufacturing process, and number of working shifts.
The scrap yard, and lumber yard would also depend on how good and fast the operators are. Weather would be another factor added in. No one wants to be out on a cold raw rainy day, or snow unloading a bulkhead flat, or dumping scrap in a gondola. I know some modelers like to say "Its July at this year". But it isn't always sunny in Philadelphia.
Typically, I would come up with my own numbers to use such as" Ok.It takes scrapyard "A" take two hours to load a cut of four gons. But wait!...Half way through, a thunder storm blows in for half an hour and shuts down operations.
Would add a little excitement to the switching operations.
That is a big help and I am a fan of the monkey wrench being thrown in for more interesting operations.
I visited the Southern Railroad of NJ 10 years ago and the crew actually unloaded 2 hopper cars of stone for a company so the cars were not left. This is very rare and only a short line would be able to do this. All cars in your scenario would be spotted for at least one day because the local would not pick up cars until the next trip at the earliest. Demurrage would play a role too. Private cars don't usually have demurrage (as in the plastic cars) and on railroad owned cars the clock starts ticking in most cases in 24 hours. A short line can claim rule 5 which gives them 120 hours before they are charged car hire, and it is up to them how much of the free time gets passed along. We gave our customers 4 days of the 5 so we made 1 day if they held the car for 5 or more.
Charlie
Your questions isn't cut and dry and would depend on the type and number of trucks being used.24 hours would not be unrealistic.
As far as the reefer that too will depend on several factors including the skill of the operators,the checker-the checker counts the number of skids and the number of boxes on each skid for accuracy..If QC/QA is involved then unloading will wait until the tests is complete and QA/QC gives the needed approval for unloading the car.
The scrap yard would need around 30 minutes for each car.
The beverage dealer would need about a hour to unload either a 50' or 60' boxcar.
Here's the rub..There are OSHA and company safety rules that must be followed and unloading is never based on speed but,safe unloading procedures.This includes chocking the cars wheels,ensuring the handbrake is set and securing the dock plate on the car's door guide after you remove the seal and open the door(s).Then one you begin the unloading you need to jockey the motor(forklift) in and out of the car due to the tight space.
.
Railnet Wrote:That is a big help and I am a fan of the monkey wrench being thrown in for more interesting operations.
Scene 1 - - a young man loading boxes of monkey wrenches into a box car.
The trees are young, and the surrounding foliage is full and green.
Scene 2 - - The man is now ancient, there's still three boxes of Monkey Wrenches to be loaded, same boxcar.
the trees are large and losing branches, and the loading dock is surrounded by dead and dying foliage, and the dock itself needs major repair.
Yup !!!!! "Monkey wrenches"
Thanks again for the insight on loading/unloading operations. Not having any direct rail access to observe it makes some things more difficult to figure out.
Consider that the destination may put the minimum amount of manpower on the job. If the car will be picked up the next day, they may only put 1 or 2 people on. If they can keep it 4 days without being charged, they just may. Unless they need the full load in a hurry.
And some companies consider a boxcar to be cheap storage space, even with per diem charges (or whatever they call them.)
David, Per Diem is "by he day" which is what, and how a company pays the railroad (demurrage). Railroads pay "car hire" to the car owner
which is charged by the hour. It gets very complicated other than that because a lot of other rules come into play.
Charlie
One thing to remember with unloading a Centrebeam flatcar is that it needs to be unloaded equally to avoid the car and load toppling over.
For example the top layer of timber packs on one side can be unloaded, but then the forklift needs to work the top and then second layer on the otherside and so on until the car is unloaded.
This requires a team track with paved or compacted gravel access on both sides of the centrebeam as well the ability to easily get around to the other side.
Placement of the centre beam on your team track could involve one or more monkey wrenches.
Dont forget that forklifts often run out of LPG or even break down just when required to unload a flatcar or truck, they often get taken for granted.
Making up a series of instructional playing cards could add an interesting variety to your operation.
Mark
Dont forget that forklifts often run out of LPG or even break down just when required to unload a flatcar or truck, they often get taken for granted.
=================================
That happen to me once and I was promptly wrote up for failure to follow company forklift operating procedures.
I failed to check the propane tank fuel gauge periodically and I ran out of propane.
hock: The reason the company was strict is it took the maintenance shop about 20 minutes to change tanks and if planed right one could get a extended break,lunch or a 30 minute break before quitting time-we was allowed 10 minutes to do the required daily work sheet that covered the work we did as a example 7:15AM to 7:50 AM unloaded Landstar trailer 53431- I ran out 3 hours before quitting time and a hour after lunch break.
The same rules applied to those junky battery powered lifts.
Brakie Wrote:Dont forget that forklifts often run out of LPG or even break down just when required to unload a flatcar or truck, they often get taken for granted.
=================================
That happen to me once and I was promptly wrote up for failure to follow company forklift operating procedures.
I failed to check the propane tank fuel gauge periodically and I ran out of propane. hock: The reason the company was strict is it took the maintenance shop about 20 minutes to change tanks and if planed right one could get a extended break,lunch or a 30 minute break before quitting time-we was allowed 10 minutes to do the required daily work sheet that covered the work we did as a example 7:15AM to 7:50 AM unloaded Landstar trailer 53431- I ran out 3 hours before quitting time and a hour after lunch break.
The same rules applied to those junky battery powered lifts.
We used to mess with those guys and turn off the propane.
Mr Fixit Wrote:One thing to remember with unloading a Centrebeam flatcar is that it needs to be unloaded equally to avoid the car and load toppling over.
For example the top layer of timber packs on one side can be unloaded, but then the forklift needs to work the top and then second layer on the otherside and so on until the car is unloaded.
This requires a team track with paved or compacted gravel access on both sides of the centrebeam as well the ability to easily get around to the other side.
Placement of the centre beam on your team track could involve one or more monkey wrenches.
Dont forget that forklifts often run out of LPG or even break down just when required to unload a flatcar or truck, they often get taken for granted.
Making up a series of instructional playing cards could add an interesting variety to your operation.
Mark
I never thought about the car tipping over if it wasn't unloaded correctly. Would a box car be unloaded in a similar fashion, going from one end then the other until the car was empty?
I think with a boxcar you can reach both sides through one door. On the centerbeam, you can't unload the far side without going around.
BR60103 Wrote:I think with a boxcar you can reach both sides through one door. On the centerbeam, you can't unload the far side without going around.
What I meant was does one end get completely unloaded then the other end or does the car need to be unloaded equally from each end?