by QB 52.32
Cowford wrote:QB, as I understand it... they are designed to fit within the 53' length requirement to fit in intermodal wells. As such, the reefer unit takes up ~3ft of linear space, which reduces pallet capacity by two (or four if double-stacked) vs. a temp-controlled trailer which has an external unit. From what I've heard, they also having higher comparative tare weights, when combined with the chassis. The favorable rail cost (COFC vs TOFC) works to its advantage in discrete service lanes, but when added to a carrier's "go anywhere" reefer fleet, the complications of segregation may offset any rail cost advantage.Thanks, Cowford. Yeah, with ~7% reduction in lading and greater tare weight that could work against using the boxes over-the-road to give greater flexibility for "go anywhere" operation, I can see the challenge. And, of course, any kind of Rube Goldberg approach with detachable reefer units with on-train refrigeration units aint gonna cut it in the real world of railroading. Would there be any stack cars currently in the fleet that could accomodate 57' in any upper position? A possibility for the next generation of stack car?