Moving rail cars short distances (a small plant)?

My company is considering opening a small industrial plant near an old rail spur. We are trying to figure out the best way to move rail cars up and down 1000 feet of track... To keep things clean and reduce liabilities with the local rail company, we should be able to get the vehicle off of the tracks.

We kicked around a few ideas and I'm looking for insights and experience:
- Bobcat/skidsteer for single cars
- Front-end loader for multiple cars
- 1-ton+ 4x4 truck, super-deep regeared axles, guide wheels for rails (old railroad service truck?)
- Trackside winches, electric

The max we'd be moving is 4-5 cars at a time, some loaded up pretty good (50+ tons).

Other than a small locomotive only way to go is a trackmobile. anything like skidsteer or truck type would be tp light and chew up tires.
A track mobile also has required brake equipment and safety gear.
Track mobiles are available second hand or new.
http://www.trackmobile.com/index1.htm

I suspected that was the case. This isn't your boat or sled trailer to drag around...

I found a few used trackmobile-type units here:
http://www.railroadtrader.com/trackmobile.html

Caterpiller, Rail King, and a few other manufacturers play in the market.

I found a distributor/leasee within 70 miles of the plant area:
http://www.liftech.com/

Rockin. Now to bug them about prices...

I've seen a sand dealer who had a track level dumpsite for their conveyor who used a winch to pull the string past the dump pit...

Remember that it's not just a case of moving those cars, you gotta stop them too. 200 tons doesn't stop on a dime.

Hmmmm..... Did the early Trackmobile have its rail wheels at 90 degrees to its road wheels? I wonder why they changed that design. I would think that being at 90 degrees would make it easier to slip out from between two cars. See what I mean?:
http://www.trackmobile.com/ourhistory_f ... age004.jpg
Also, it looks like the 5TM Trackmobiles were sidewinders: http://www.railroadtrader.com/images/items/tm55.jpg
I think, though, that the extra length (on rails, width) made it difficult to move equipment in a yard with parallel tracks.

I buy, sell, repair and rent Trackmobiles.
I own a fleet of 6 5TM's and a 2TM Trackmobile as well as 2 locomotives. I also have alot of connections in the industry.
What state are you located in?
I am based in NJ.
Feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] for more info and assistance.

I also had a thought about areas with spurs on a 2-3 degree decline. Use an electric winch to do a "controlled descent" down the hill past a dump pit. Finding a decline AND a spur AND a pit together is impossible here. Too bad Watertown, NY is all flatland - great for fuel consumption, sucks for this idea and more interesting sunset scenery.

One site I was looking at has 500' of siding and and switch just before a one-lane road crossing. This is an incredibly low-traffic road in a small city neighborhood that has another parallel road crossing 250' further down the track, and there are no powered signals or lights, just signs.

Any ideas on permitting with road crossings? I know the railroad and DOT have a lot of serious rules about crossings... company permits? operator/engineer training and permits? from rail AND road administrative groups?

How about using a switch? Generally, this is a giant no-no... Vermont Railway padlocks all of the switches to keep people from monkeying with them, but such is not the case on this CSX spur. I suspect it's a call-ahead to the local rail yard to confirm that no deliveries are scheduled and return the switch to its original position when you're done. Don't mess up though...

I suspect these questions are better geared towards CSX and following their operational rules, since they own and operate the rail here. Maybe they'd keep us away from the road and only use the other end of the siding that has no road crossings, but there is a switch on that end too.

I have a general inquiry into CSX but I haven't heard from them yet. Hopefully tomorrow but next week is more likely.

Just as I was going to mention him, he appears! Try to contact "RAILCARMOVER", off board, via email or PM. He is probably THE authority on railcar movers, on this forum, and will assess your needs, and budget, and he will point you in the right direction. Would be my FIRST choice, if I was searching for those kind of services.......

Are you thinking of using the remains of the Carthage, Watertown and Sackets Harbor? http://russnelson.com/CWnSH/

Your pic here:
http://russnelson.com/CWnSH/Pic-0026.jpg
is from the northern edge of City Center Industrial Park. There also is a spur into the southern edge of the park, opposite the main line from the Army Reserve depot on South Massey St. No road crossings on either spur, but a lumber yard and a Blue Seal feed depot are currently using the northern spur. Some vacant land just to the north (left edge of the photo) could be built upon, if for sale. Tomorrow's recon mission will check out the southern spur, along with some other business in the city.

The best site so far was on Snell Street:
http://twohours.org/snellstreet.jpg
I drew a line next to the siding of interest. You can see the old OW Hubbell industrial building that is currently vacant just to the left of the line. The siding runs around 500', but I'm not sure if that is enough room for comfortable growth. I suppose it would be a high-class problem to run out of room on the line. There is enough land bordering the track to build a dedicated spur, if we have deep enough pockets to even consider the construction costs. Some economic development funds are available if we needed to spend somebody else's money.

I dropped a line to railcarmover but have yet to hear back. Not everyone is an Internet junkie like I am. =P

One of our customers, Dow Chemicals uses a front end loader with a knuckle coupler to move cars around.

Ive seen front end loaders used and also saw two deadly accidents with them .
A loader is no match for two cars without brakes and loaders do not have brake equipment to move cars with brakes cut in.

Agway has one of those front end loaders with a huge knuckle as well. Even though they're literally right in Bevier Street yard.

DutchRailnut wrote:Ive seen front end loaders used and also saw two deadly accidents with them .
A loader is no match for two cars without brakes and loaders do not have brake equipment to move cars with brakes cut in.

These loaders were custom built for moving railcars, they are about the size of a GE 44-tonner and can easily handle 3 or 4 loaded railcars.