Stacks and Pigs on Ice -- BNSF Intermodal Freight Train in the Snow near Tehachapi, California
by Darin Volpe
Title
Stacks and Pigs on Ice -- BNSF Intermodal Freight Train in the Snow near Tehachapi, California
Artist
Darin Volpe
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Three 4,400 horsepower General Electric locomotives pull a train of truck trailers and containers under Highway 58 between Mojave and Tehachapi on a cold February afternoon.
Intermodal transportation has existed since the 1700's with wooden containers moving between horse-drawn carriages and canal boats. The practice known as trailer-on-flatcar began in the 1930s. This new “piggyback” service had entire truck trailers loaded onto flat cars for transport to a destination terminal. The 1950s saw standardization of containers, which revolutionized the transportation industry. Unlike truck trailers, containers could be stacked in special well cars to double capacity of a given car length. Today you'll find long intermodal trains consisting of both containers and piggyback trailers crossing the country, such as this BNSF freight coming out of Southern California for the long trip north to the Pacific Northwest.
February of 2023 brought a cold snap to much of Southern Califorina. Snow had been falling throughout the night, closing both of the major highways between the southern part of California's San Joaquin Valley and the rest of the country. But freight must move, and those trucks riding on this BNSF train didn't have to wait for Highway 58 to open like those riding on their own wheels did.
Uploaded
March 4th, 2023
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