As Joseph explains below, the NS Triple Crown service was terminated Aug 26. Several railfans made an effort to catch a Triple Crown train while they were still running. (I had to pu Jackson's photo at the top so that the blog would create a thumbnail for this post.)
Joseph Tuch Santucci
posted three photos with the comment:
The infamous Triple Crown RoadRailer trains operated by Norfolk Southern will cease to operate after the weekend of August 25/25. These trains were operated for thirty eight years employing a technology that originated in 1955 but didn’t get perfected until the 1980’s when they became mainstream. The original version had rail wheels mounted on the trailers but were only used for a few years on the Chesapeake & Ohio on the tail end of passenger trains. An improved version was developed by Bi-Modal Corporation of West Chester, PA which was purchased in the early 1980’s by Thrall Car Corporation of Chicago Heights, IL. This version of the trailer had rail wheels on board and set in between the tandem wheels instead of at the very back of the trailer as on those used by C&O. The tandem was a split set so the rail wheels fit in between the two axle sets. They made the trailer tare weight heavier so the trailers often weighed out before loading out. An improved system was developed where the rail wheels were no longer part of the trailer. Instead a special bogey was developed where the back of the trailer was attached to the bogey which consisted of two sets of rail wheels and a fifth wheel mount for the back of the trailer to attach. The following trailer was connected to the trailer ahead with a steel pin system. This system made the trailer lighter and could then be loaded to full capacity.
Norfolk Southern began operating a train of these trailers between Detroit and Kansas City in the mid 1980’s to handle auto parts for Ford. Eventually NS subsidiary Triple Crown (hence the Triple Crown name on the trailers) who marketed and performed terminal handling began expanding the RoadRailer network. In the 1990’s they partnered with Conrail and expanded the network to thirteen cities. CSX also operated a RoadRailer train laden with Ford auto parts between Detroit and Atlanta for a few years but had difficulties marketing northbound loads out of Atlanta and eventually ceased operations. Union Pacific launched an operation between Chicago and Dallas in the late 80’s but couldn’t solicit enough business to sustain a profit. But then UP did not have a large fleet of these trailers which was a shortcoming. Southern Pacific operated them for a time on the west coast. Amtrak also used them for a few years on the tail end of passenger trains. Canadian National and BNSF also tried their hand at them but it didn’t fare well at all on CN and they quit after less than a year. BNSF lasted awhile longer but nobody else in North America had the success NS/Triple Crown enjoyed. As other railroads exited the RoadRailer business NS bought up those surplus trailers incorporating them into their own Triple Crown subsidiary fleet.
As the trailer fleet was going to need extensive replacement, in 2015 NS made the decision to cut all the routes they operated except the Detroit-Kansas City run rather than invest in new trailers. The oldest trailers which reached the end of their service life were retired and disposed of. As the service winds down this week 1,250 trailers remain in the fleet and they are approaching the end of their service life. Rumors have been flying for the past year about its impending demise. NS announced last week they are ending the service when the last train eastbound train, 256 reaches Detroit in the early morning hours of August 26th. The last westbound train, 255 will arrive in Voltz, MO in suburban Kansas City in the early morning hours of August 25th. The last running of these trains ends an era some have called a thirty-eight year experiment. Some, like myself call the ceasing of their operation the passing up of lucrative business and potential in shorter haul markets. But then today’s railroad management no longer works with long term plans. It’s quick and easy profits in the short term to satisfy short term investors rather than long term gain which will carry and sustain for years for the long term investors who no longer seem to matter. It’s all about instant gratification in today’s business world.
RoadRailers require less physical plant and eliminate the need for the overhead straddle cranes or side loader cranes as these trailers are not loaded on flatcars. They can be driven in place with rails located within pavement. A forklift or small Galion crane is used to position the bogeys onto the rails. A train of these, up to 150 trailers could be loaded and made ready to depart in less time than loading trailers in flatcars. Since no rail cars are involved that is less weight involved and there is also the elimination of that gap between cars which reduces wind drag and resistance which results in reduced fuel consumption. Frequently these trains were operated with only one locomotive. The longer trains would sometimes have two especially where there were grades or when it was colder to help pump air through the train.
I caught westbound train 255 at Lafayette, IN Saturday afternoon August 17th. It is my intent to capture the very last two trains this weekend.
Larry Graham: They had a widespread network at one time. Actually had the North American Van Lines people running the service. And it worked, and made money. And yes, less overhead in terms of MiJack cranes, dedicated ramps, etc. 2015 was around the time the PSR rats were making their inroads. Was low hanging fruit claiming they, "had to invest in new trailers". Fraction of the cost of a five pack. For ten trailers.
The other racket involved in this would be the container and overhead crane companies fearful of an expanded network. Even though these fears would be baseless. NS had actually developed new business centered around the Roadrailers. And short haul markets would be ideal for this stuff.
Joseph Tuch Santucci: Larry Graham ya this was in that period when Elmo Harrison was at CP and attempting to takeover NS. Even though I no longer worked for him I was driving him crazy posting about what a bad idea a CP takeover would be and even better, I had shares of NS stock and I took great pleasure in voting against his takeover attempt.
Randall Vos: I see some of the older trailers are leased to UPS, see them occasionally on the highway........
Joseph Tuch Santucci: Randall Vos ya I see them now and again as well. I also see some the first generation trailers with the split axles and the empty spot where the rail wheels and axle were once mounted.
Larry Graham: Also, being close coupled, you had no break ins with the trailers. Now, with their "new and improved" container scam, transit times will increase due to lift and drop, as well as being lumped into a block of God knows what destinations.
Robert Eineke: We had roadrailers in Janesville WI that came and went with the short lived Amtrak Lake Country Limited Chicago - Janesville train back in 2000. A couple of times after work I took a little time to do some night photos of the loading operations. The Amtrak run usually had more trailers than passengers. Anywhere from a couple up to about fifteen.
Larry Graham: Robert Eineke This was something else too. Amtrak finally had a way to make money and underwrite the passenger side. The freight carriers just couldn't have that so they had their friends in Congress gerrymander them out of operation.
Kevan Davis: I still say for some things a boxcar would be best. Like auto parts.
Kendel Robinson: Kevan Davis I wondered that too. Couldn’t the good Ol box car do the job?!
Joseph Tuch Santucci: Kendel Robinson the RoadRailers were under contract with Ford. They are replacing these trains with a pair of stack trains that will operate between Toledo and Kansas City. They will stay the containers between Toledo and Detroit which makes little sense. It’s less than an hour drive between the two depending on I-75 traffic. The plan is these trains will also be marketed to other shippers. Toledo may be an easier connection if they have cars to points east and westbounds can connect to the Kansas City train with business from points from further east.
They still get parts on boxcars like the parts from stamping plants. I know Ford engines and transmissions were still moving in boxcars a few years ago as were tires.
Mel Wilson: FRA max is 125 trailers. The NS would hand off a roadrailer train to us in KC on the BNSF. We’d take it to Oklahoma City, and hand it off to a Texas crew for Ft Worth. If we had an NS unit, they were always prone to having UDEs (undesired emergency brake applications), but with a BNSF unit we were usually good. I didn’t like the roadrailers. Yes, occasionally you’d have to set air. Slow to set, and slow to release. We wouldn’t set air unless we meant it. And doing a running release was just a pain in the butt.
David L White: Ah, everything you say is true but the very first Triple Crown train I ever ran had only seven trailers and AWAY WE WENT!
Mel Wilson: David L White yep. The first ones were short. He’d mentioned 150. The FRA max is 125. They didn’t have to run that long. Many times they were shorter.
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SteelRails posted
Norfolk Southern's GE C40-9W locomotive number 9905 is leading roadrailer train 256, pulling 96 trailers, as it passes through corn, soybean fields and small towns like Sidney, Illinois on August 17, 2024.
SteelRails shared |
Noah Haggerty
posted seven photos with the comment: "Norfolk Southern #121 and the last Roadrailer service #255 pulling across the 1904 W
abash bridge by Lake Decatur in Decatur, IL on August 25, 2024."
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Matthew Harrell posted
255 passes under the signal bridge at Wabic as the Roadrailer train departs Decatur for the last time.
I'm still trying to process my feelings about losing this train. It was one of the last proud vestiges of the powerhouse Norfolk Southern Railway that I came to love and admire back in the 1990's. One thing is for sure, NS' former Wabash Railroad mainline will never be the same.
Mike Snow: 255/256 will still be running, just with different equipment and will terminate at Toledo instead of Detroit.
Matthew Harrell: Mike Snow NS is switching the symbols to 251/252. I caught the first 252 at New Berlin, IL this morning.
Robert Hafliger: It was never the same when they stopped going thru Taylorville. They were hard to keep up with on route 48 between the Ville and Raymond. In the late 80's Stonington was having their annual picnic. Superintendent put all trains on a slow order for the weekend it was good to watch one crawl by at about 15mph.
Frank Nelson: I remember that train coming out of Cincinnati, and chasing it through 7 mile Ohio, Somerville, Ohio, Camden, Ohio, and that train would be doing passenger speed 60 miles an hour. sometimes I think the engineer fudged the speed a little bit and would do 65 almost 70.
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Jim Pearson Photography posted
Norfolk Southern 9800 leads westbound Triple Crown RoadRailer train NS 255 as it stretches off into the distance at Lafayette, Indiana on the NS Lafayette District on August 17th, 2024.
The RoadRailer trains will become a thing of the past as of the weekend of 24-25th of August 2024, as the service will be discontinued and transitioned fully to standard double-stack trains.
According to Wikipedia: A RoadRailer is a trailer or semi-trailer that can be hauled on roads by a tractor unit and then by way of a fifth wheel coupling, operate in a unit train on railway lines. The RoadRailer system allows trailers to be pulled by locomotives without the use of flatcars, instead attaching trailers directly to bogies.
Triple Crown, a subsidiary of Norfolk Southern Railway, remains a user of RoadRailer transportation as of 2022. However, on August 12th, 2024, they announced the last RoadRailer Trains would be running the weekend of August 24 and 25, 2024. The RoadRailer trains will be replaced temporarily with Trailer on Flat Car (TOFC) service before transitioning fully to a standard double-stack container trains.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
https://fineartamerica.com/.../norfolk-southern-9800...
Michael Fromholt: Norfolk Southern started this back when they owned North American Van Lines(my wife retired from NAVL after 40+ years), I always thought that it was a great idea, just wished they could have expanded on it. They did have a lot of issues though. when NS sold off NAVL and kept Triple Crown, they sold NAVL off to some corporate group that pretty much destroyed it.
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Jim Pearson Photography posted
Norfolk Southern 9839 leads Triple Crown RoadRailer NS 255 as it passes the tail end of it's counterpart, NS 256 at Sidney, Illinois on the NS Lafayette District on August 24th, 2024.
This is the end of an era for this scene with RoadRailers as both trains are being changed over to Intermodals and today was the last run for eastbound 256 and the 25th was the last run for NS 255.
According to Wikipedia: [Same as his first photo.]
https://fineartamerica.com/.../norfolk-southern-9839...
John Mowbray: A great train to operate. The only slack action was between the locomotives and first car.
Dylan Freeman: They almost always put the train in emergency breaking when you set the train brakes. I will not miss them at all. Smooth running.."little slack".. but between going in emergency and having dragging equipment detector because of the mud flaps on the containers...I support this move away from them.
Richard Westhafer: Dylan Freeman I pity the truckers that had to pull those rickety trailers over the road
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Jim Pearson Photography posted
Norfolk Southern Nickel Plate Road Heritage Unit 8100 leads Triple Crown RoadRailer train NS 256 eastbound as it passes the United Prairie and Premier Cooperative grain complexes at Tolono, Illinois on August 24th, 2024, as they head east on the NS Lafayette District.
The NS RoadRailer trains are now a thing of the past as the last one ran yesterday, 25th of August 2024, and the service has now been discontinued and the will transition fully to standard double-stack trains.
According to Wikipedia: [Same as his first photo.]
https://fineartamerica.com/.../norfolk-southern-nickel...
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Jim Pearson Photography posted
Norfolk Southern 9839 leads Triple Crown RoadRailer train NS 255 westbound as it passes over the WABIC Diamond as they depart from Decatur, Illinois after a crew change on August 24th, 2024, as they head west on the NS Springfield/Hannibal District.
[The remainder of the description is the same as the above photo.] |
The Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society, Inc.
posted five photos with the comment:
Norfolk Southern’s last eastbound Triple Crown Services Road-Railer train was headed by non other than the Nickel Plate Road Heritage Unit NS No. 8100. Fitting considering that the Nickel Plate Road was an early adopter of trailer-on-flatcar service during the steam era.
Thomas Wells and Zach Marlow were at Ivesdale, Illinois to capture the last eastbound run, NS 256, meet the second to last westbound run. Thanks for the great photos guys!
While we have your attention we would like to point out that the Kitchi Gammi Club has sold out in less than 24 hours but there’s still plenty of regular NKPHTS 2024 Convention excursion tickets left!
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Joseph Tuch Santucci
posted seven photos with the comment:
The end of an era. Today was the final run of the Triple Crown RoadRailers. Train 255 rolled through today and upon its arrival at Voltz, MO in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow, the service officially ends. It was a great run, thirty-eight years. These trailers were approaching the end of their service life and issues were developing. Apparently they didn’t want to spend the money for new equipment and decided to go to a more conventional route to handle the business. Wonder how much of this business they will lose as a result of the change?
It was an interesting morning at Clymers, IN this morning. It started when a monster westbound manifest freight, train 121 arrived and stopped for a meet. I would learn that train was about 11,000 feet long. He had to pull across the first road crossing here in order to clear the control point at the east end. The eastbound, train 30N finally arrived and was lined into the siding. In the conversation between these two trains on the radio, the crew on 30N mentioned they were about to run out of time and also they hoped their train would fit as they were over 12,000 feet long. This siding is about 12,400 feet long.
I got to conversing with the conductor of 121 as he was standing on the ground performing the required roll-by inspection. We joked about what would happen if 30N didn’t fit and I mentioned I had this happen more than once in my career. Unfortunately the other crew would be dead on the hours of service and unable to participate so it would be quite the mess. I also asked him if they heard if 255 was out and running from Peru. He said he believed they were. That’s good news as the train had really fallen down already. 30N did clear but by only 100 feet. Of course the old joke on the railroad was, “A foot’s as good as a mile.”
121 got the signal and departed. But I faced a dilemma, 255 would come through on the main and that was on the opposite side of the train from where I was. And both road crossings were now blocked. I took the only road I had access to and headed west. I worked my way around using a five or so mile detour and came back into town on the other side of the train. But now I’d be shooting against the sun, so plan B. Another running joke on the railroad is, “Plan A never has a chance anyway.” I went through the parking lot of the ag service there and was able to get around the stopped and now parked train to set up on the south side of the tracks. You’ll see the tail end of the parked train in the video.
I did notice as I came back into town the signal was clear (green) so 255 was on the move and would come right through. After several minutes I saw his headlight on the eastern horizon so now he was in the neighborhood. I was positioned where the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad crosses and connects to this line. The track configuration where they cross is called a diamond. So here comes the train and my video camera is rolling.
I was disappointed when I saw the locomotive and noticed there was not a sign or banner commemorating this was the final run of the RoadRailers. Oh well, I guess Norfolk Southern missed out a little PR. As the train started across the diamond I saw the pad on the leg of the landing gear leg on my side of the first trailer in the train strike the diamond. Unfortunately I was turning the camera when it hit so I don’t have it on video. But you can hear it around thirty seconds into the video. I saw the leg bend and a cloud of dust appear. You can briefly see the dust though. The rest of the train rolled by with no additional events and then was gone. I got to witness the ending of an era and captured it on video.
On several railroad groups I belong to I posted the video and mentioned the landing gear pad episode. People down the road were watching for it and took photos and posted them. I guess if nothing else, perhaps I also witnessed and reported something that will make that last run even more memorable. People may remember that last train and the landing gear episode as the train didn’t want to go out quietly.
I watched as the train disappeared over the western horizon and my thought went to a line from the song written by the late Steve Goodman and made popular by Arlo Guthrie in 1972, City of New Orleans, “This train’s got to disappear into railroad blues.”
And so it goes.
Andrew Juergens: Ford offered to buy new trailers and refurbished the trucks and ns said no.
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SteelRails posted
Norfolk Southern, Nickel Plate Road Heritage Unit NS 8100 leads the final Triple Crown Services RoadRailer train 256, Eastbound on Lafayette District at Tolono, Illinois On August 24, 2024. |
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Trains Magazine posted
Steve Smedley's excellent photo of the essential RoadRailer concept, as seen on the last train of its kind last Sunday, is a reminder that innovation comes hard in the railroad industry. In Kevin Keefe's Mileposts blog this week, a RoadRailer lamentation: https://www.trains.com/.../roadrailer-service-sails-off.../ |
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Joseph Tuch Santucci posted
The last trailer of the last RoadRailer train to ever run. TCSZ 468457, remember that number. To quote Jim Morrison, “This is the end.” |
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Joseph Tuch Santucci posted
The last trailer of the very last eastbound RoadRailer train, 256. Bringing up the markers one last time was TCSZ 467654 at Clymers, IN. 24 August 2024 |
Carl Davis
posted four photos with the comment: "Good morning from Jacksonville I’ll eastbound at 8.34."
Andy Brown: Riding piggyback off to retirement.
Aug 31, 2024:
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1 of 7 photos and a video posted by Joseph Tuch Santucci
The old and the new all at the same time. Last week I posted a video of the very last RoadRailer train to ever operate, Norfolk Southern train 255. They replaced it with a conventional version intermodal train, 251 and its eastbound counterpart, 252. The eastern terminal was moved from Oakwood Yard in Melvindale, MI (suburban Detroit) to somewhat nearby Toledo, OH although it’s supposed to run on the same time schedule over the altered route. Trailers and containers are drayed via highway between the Detroit area and Toledo. The new train presently uses a mix 53 foot containers acquired by Triple Crown and Road Railer trailers now in a trailer on flatcar (TOFC) mode. This mix is supposed to last for several weeks when all the RoadRailer trains will be fully retired. Today I have a video of the current iteration of this train as it ran Saturday, August 31st. I wanted to capture it at least once in this format before the RoadRailer trailers vanish completely. I’ve also posted some photos with captions included. This train had a total of 108 units onboard, 75 containers in two modes and 33 RoadRailer trailers. 31 August 2024 at Clymers, IN [I've read that they bought the containers from HUB, that is why they are green.] |
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MP Rail Photography posted
August 31, 2024 Hannibal, Missouri Power: NS 9936 - C44-9W Michael E. Bond: ... and there's also the tunnel just west of the BNSF crossing. Great photo! |
Sep 1, 2024:
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safe_image for 2:00 video
[During the transition when Triple Crown trailers are running on piggyback.] |
Sep 3, 2024:
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Jim Pearson Photography posted
Norfolk Southern 1214 leads westbound Triple Crown train NS 251 as it passes the depot at Lafayette, Indiana, on the NS Lafayette District on August 30th, 2024. This train and its counterpart NS 252 have replaced the RoadRailer trains that used to run through here, which were abolished at the end of August 2024. Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 24-70 @ 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 64. |
Sep 5, 2024:
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MP Rail Photography posted
NS 4330 leads intermodal 251, the new TripleCrown Service train, eastbound on the Lafayette District. September 1, 2024 Danville, Illinois Power: NS 4330 - AC44C6M |
One of the early designs.
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E.m. Bell posted
An experimental design for roadrailer service called the 'Railrunner' on the rear of Southbound Triple Crown 251. These things didn't last very long at all. Danville, Kentucky 2004
Klavin Murriell: Andrew Birt-Gombar 53ft container chassis instead of a 53ft box trailer setup for the road railer system.
This would have negated the need for intermodal sites to need specialized cranes and forklifts to unload containers from well cars, as all road railers needed was a flat paved area to take them apart.
Randall Hampton: 3-axle trailers; rare in the US, but common on other continents.
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