Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There's also an entire subgroup of flatcars that are known
as
intermodal cars
. They were first designed to carry truck trail-
ers, which are driven to the railroad yard, unhooked, and simply
swung aboard this special flatcar. At its destination, the trailer is
lifted off the flatcar, hooked to the cab portion of a semitrailer,
and driven straight to its destination. Railroad people refer to this
arrangement as “TOFC” (“trailer on flatcar”) or “piggyback.”
To the everlasting confusion of the general population, the trains
themselves are called “pig trains.” Shipping containers are also
carried on flatcars, and you will see a great many of these as you
travel around the country by train.
A simple idea at work: the stacking of two shipping containers doubles the carrying
capacity of a train.
Photo courtesy of the author
Double-Stack Cars
These are a fairly recent innovation; a double-stack car is actu-
ally a modified flatcar that features a sunken bed, allowing it to
carry two stacked shipping containers and still remain under the
normal height limit of about 20 feet. The benefits to these stack
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