@ArtStone They don't have to be in a solid consist - when the Chesapeake & Ohio pioneered their use in the 1950s, they were tacked onto the back of passenger trains for mail and express. Amtrak had a fleet of them for express service for a few years as well - I have several clips of them. The brakes are on the rail wheelsets; the trailers have air lines that connect to the locomotive at the front of the consist, carry it under each trailer, and then to each wheelset to pass it along.
@65bigjoe The older trailers in the consist had a single rail axle, so articulation around curves wasn't much of a problem - there's more space there than it seems. The newer trailers have the front of one trailer and the back of another sharing a rail wheelset - I believe they are attached to the wheelset with a pin, similar to what attaches a conventional trailer to a truck. I have a retail DVD on RoadRailers that depicts the attachment process; I'll have to review it to confirm.
because line haul dropped from 900 miles to 600 miles miles per trip,truckstops pumped 7.2 million less gallons of diesel last year.1st time seeing single trucks under trailers. Amazing how a monocoque trailer can remain in one piece dragging those units behind it.
Those single-axle units were the Mark IVs; they found out pretty quickly that it didn't help road handling much to have all that extra weight at the back end, turning the trailer into a giant pendulum. Plus, it was just extra tare weight that couldn't be put towards cargo capacity. Hence the newer Mark V which had the rail wheels removed when it traveled over the highway.
so those axles were part of the trailer, not like the ones the trailer is lowered onto and trailer is hooked to trailer in front of it.That would explain spread axles on trailer.Compared to rail cars, it's still amazing plate and monocoque trailers can pull all those others without ripping apart.
And that's that many trucks NOT on the road for the long haul. I've always marveled at the efficiency and logistics of the roadrailers and intermodal trains. In addition to being generally awesome, that's a major win for the environment.
LOL I miss the old style Triple Crown trailers.
csx5400 9 months ago
Do roadrailers have to be in trains by themselves? How do the brakes work? Are there air lines under the trucks?
ArtStone 1 year ago
@ArtStone They don't have to be in a solid consist - when the Chesapeake & Ohio pioneered their use in the 1950s, they were tacked onto the back of passenger trains for mail and express. Amtrak had a fleet of them for express service for a few years as well - I have several clips of them. The brakes are on the rail wheelsets; the trailers have air lines that connect to the locomotive at the front of the consist, carry it under each trailer, and then to each wheelset to pass it along.
FastFlyingVirginian 1 year ago
with the trailers so close together.i would like to know how they make them turns and how do they stay on the rail wheels
65bigjoe 1 year ago
@65bigjoe The older trailers in the consist had a single rail axle, so articulation around curves wasn't much of a problem - there's more space there than it seems. The newer trailers have the front of one trailer and the back of another sharing a rail wheelset - I believe they are attached to the wheelset with a pin, similar to what attaches a conventional trailer to a truck. I have a retail DVD on RoadRailers that depicts the attachment process; I'll have to review it to confirm.
FastFlyingVirginian 1 year ago
That first trailer is going AAAHHHHH!!!!
randommagnum 1 year ago
awesome video
trainboy32 2 years ago
what horn is that?
RichmanJ93 2 years ago
because line haul dropped from 900 miles to 600 miles miles per trip,truckstops pumped 7.2 million less gallons of diesel last year.1st time seeing single trucks under trailers. Amazing how a monocoque trailer can remain in one piece dragging those units behind it.
speedskiff2 3 years ago
Those single-axle units were the Mark IVs; they found out pretty quickly that it didn't help road handling much to have all that extra weight at the back end, turning the trailer into a giant pendulum. Plus, it was just extra tare weight that couldn't be put towards cargo capacity. Hence the newer Mark V which had the rail wheels removed when it traveled over the highway.
FastFlyingVirginian 3 years ago
so those axles were part of the trailer, not like the ones the trailer is lowered onto and trailer is hooked to trailer in front of it.That would explain spread axles on trailer.Compared to rail cars, it's still amazing plate and monocoque trailers can pull all those others without ripping apart.
speedskiff2 3 years ago
it's cool seeing the old single axle trucks agian. Nowadawys the only person that uses them is Railmax weed sprayers.
amtraklover 3 years ago
And that's that many trucks NOT on the road for the long haul. I've always marveled at the efficiency and logistics of the roadrailers and intermodal trains. In addition to being generally awesome, that's a major win for the environment.
thenekom 3 years ago
great video! 5*
JeskoTN 4 years ago
Ahh the classic sound of Conrail with a good sounding Leslie RS3L airhorn on that one
nathank5la 4 years ago
Practically every kid at the fence that day was pumping their fist up and down to encourage him, it was funny.
FastFlyingVirginian 4 years ago
@nathank5la RS3L RULES
xtremepadrefan 1 year ago