Re: Finemores to merge with Toll

["Adam Dunning" <adamdunning@start.com.au>]

I'm not saying that road can carry more than rail (i'd be stupid to say
anything of the sort, I know that rail can carry more, and much more
efficiently).  Yes Rail has a larger loading gauge (what's the tallest
locomotives roaming the national SG?)  The problem is the cubic items.
Trucks and trailers can be built with dropped frames and customized chassis
to suit the work they are being applied too, and they are limited in the
weight they can carry (about 35 tonnes rating per trailer, but NO one gets
to these loadings).  Rail carriages on the other hand have to carry two
forms of loading.  The weight of the carriages, and the tension applied to
them by the locomotive at the front, and the carriages behind them.  Because
of this, rail carriages are level with a strong central frame or they are
extremly heavy like the old VR low loader carriages and other examples.
Comparing the height of the floors, a carriage has it all over a flat top
trailer, while a drop deck trailer wins over the carriage.

Now, a container's height is limited by the trailer (on road) on which it is
carried.  Because of this, the train's loading gauge is not used fully.
Compareing a container with a road going trailer, (not a roadrailer), the
road going trailer will have a larger volume capacity.  As much of
Finemores' inter-capital work takes volume as opposed to weight, a container
is completely useless because more containers would be needed to transport
the same amount of freight that they already do.  If the freight is a funny
shape, then there would be even more wasted space.

But how much height and ultimately volume is being lost?

A 10 foot tall container (which are starting to appear here in Aus now,
Cubico/Boxcar's Supertainer) only has an internal height of about 9 foot and
loading and unloading has to be made through the back doors of the box.
Using a curtain sider container allows loading through the side, but because
of the heavier floor which is required in the curtain sider as well as roof
and ends (so that the box can be lifted), a 10 foot tall one only has about
8.5 foot internal height (yes, it is that much).

Trailers can be built with the deck height being 2-3 foot (600-900mm
approx.) off of the ground.  This includes the trailers chassis and axles,
suspension, etc.  With a maximum height of 14 foot aloud throughout
Australia unrestricted, this gives 11-12 foot internal clearence.  Also, the
roof in a road going trailer can be lighter because it does not need to be
lifted.  Allowing for the roof, I'd say you'd get about 10' 8" to 11'8"
depending on the trailer's set up.

Width also plays a role.  Container shave a much thicker side wall than a
curtain sider and when it comes to freight like refridgerated, removing
pallets so the freight will fit only increases the time taken to load and
unload.

I know my ideas are jumbled, but what I am trying to say is that when it
comes to cubic capacity, road vehicles unfortunately have it over rail when
it comes to NR's (virtual) one eyed behaviour towards containers against
other methods of transport.

Adam



"Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
zf5m6.15193$Yx4.585518@news6.giganews.com">news:zf5m6.15193$Yx4.585518@news6.giganews.com...
> "Michael" <usenet.spam@gunzel.net> wrote in message
> 905396714gunzelT333@203.164.20.149">news:905396714gunzelT333@203.164.20.149...
> > tezza2000@dingoblue.net.au (Tezza) wrote in
> > <3a986e5f$0$25484$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au>:
> >
> > >Rail trucks can carry far greater loads than road trucks.
> >
> > Thats what I thought too, acc a bigger loading guage to play with.
>
> I thought it had more to do with axle loads on road vehicles.....
>
> Dave
>
>