06-28-2010, 06:16 PM
Express Trak at Redondo Junction near the Loa Angeles Union Station had a similar sized structure where they transloaded boxes of oranges from trucks to mechanical reefers. Since the weather in LA is pretty nice year round, the structure had no sides, just a platform for the fork lift and a ramp and roof to provide shade or keep the rain off. It was also on wheels so it could be moved and spotted to allow loading two rail cars without having to have the switcher come down and move them around. An aluminum ramp that spanned the space between the dock and the car would be flipped up and the fork lift would hook on and pull the dock to the next car.