Posted on 06/01/2015 10:30:30 AM PDT by Dick Bachert
I recently had the following FB message exchanges with Union Pacific Railroad seeking clarification of the functions of the rail cars in the photo below.
My requests to UP and the dates of same are as follows:
On 5/11/2015: Can someone there please advise me the intended cargo/function of the rail cars shown in the accompanying photos? Thanks.
Their nearly immediate initial reply (no date):
Hi Richard,
That is an AutoMax automotive rack.
You can check out the different varieties here:
https://www.up.com/customers/all/equipment/descriptions/auto-racks/index.htm
Thanks for reaching out!
Best,
Alison Freemyer
Corporate Relations
My NEXT attempt to get the truth:
On 5/20/2015
Alison, These are distinctly different from the autoracks built by THRALL CAR's Winder, Georgia plant. I supplied many of the overhead cranes in Winder (photo attached of some of the gantries). What appear to be spaced ventilation openings in the sides and the accordian structure between car pairs have led to speculation that they are, in fact, mobile prison facilities being kept ready to incarcerate -- and, some, believe, execute en-route -- those involved in civil unrest and riots should order break down here. That would make these transports very akin to the cattle cars the Nazi used in transporting Jews and others to the camps. Can you send me a photo showing THESE cars being used in a vehicle transportation application? It would go a long way toward improving UP's perception by some members of the public.
Allison, This is my second request for a photo of the AutoMax automotive carriers showing them being loaded or holding vehicles. The photo below is the type of cars to which I refer.
SINCE THAT SECOND INQUIRY ON 5/20, NOTHING FROM UNION PACIFIC!
QUESTION: I'm certain we have some railroad buffs on FR. Can any of YOU furnish us a photo or photos of these cars LOADING or UNLOADING the vehicles UP purports to be their function???
Those are the new Stolypin Transport cars.
Nothing to see here, move into the transport, NOW!
The future mode of transportation for conservatives and Christians.
Yikes! bookmark.
Who let the Smokey Backroom leak out onto the front page?
I’ve seen similar cars passing by with yellow covers and could see the cars and pickups within through the small slits. Have not seen them being loaded. I suspect they reduce damage from natural and human projectiles.
If they are, in fact FEMA (or the like) “cattle cars,” why would they require ventilation?
These are automotive transports. The flexible connections between the cars prevents debris from being thrown against the vehicle paint as the train moves.
These are loaded from the back, with the first car being driven through each rail car to the one at the front.
There is no conspiracy.
Besides, if the gov’t is trying to force me on a train, I am resisting.....with everything I have....I don’t care about what the cars look like!!!!
Google Images is your friend.
I saw some of those just last week. My first thought was prison cars or troop transport. Not automobile transport.
I remember riding in the converted tractor trailer cattle cars the military used during the Vietnam war. These cars reminded me of them.
It is a good way to transport UN troops with out anyone seeing it... : /
I'm with you ... I don't see a problem here.
"In 1999 Gunderson (a subsidy of Greenbrier Inc.) began producing a revolutionary new car that is at the cutting edge of railroad technology. With the catchy name, Auto-Max, these cars are unmistakable and have been turning the heads of both railfans and model railroaders alike. The sheer mass of this two-unit articulated car has all the subtly of a rolling barn. At 20' 2" tall and 145' 4" long, this is one of the largest car on the rails today.
The real driving force behind the development of a car of such huge proportions is the popularity of Sport Utility Vehicles. Practically since the development of the rack on flatcar, "Autoracks" have come in two versions. The Bi-Level is intended for large trucks and vans while the Tri-Level is intended for sedans and other small vehicles. But most SUV's fit in the gray are between the cars and trucks. Before Auto-Max, SUV's were put in Bi-Levels and represented a lot of wasted clearance room. Because Auto-Max uses most of the railroad clearance diagram, it can actually load three levels of SUV's in one railroad car. In other words, the Auto-Max can cram in 22 SUV's while a standard Bi-Level can only hold a mere 10. Even Thrall's new articulated Bi-Level car can only handle 16 vehicles
For more information refer to the article and drawings on pages 126-130 of the November 1999 issue of Model Railroader Magazine."
http://www.trainweb.org/funnelfan/automax.htm
The height of the cars does not suggest they are tall enough to handle 3 levels of prisoners standing up... unless, of course, the NWO was getting rid of dwarfs and midgets! Run Warwick Davis, Verne Troyer, Peter Dinklage, the NWO wants to put you in boxcars!
If I were to read that second reply and you are not correct in your assessment, I’d consider you a nutcase and not reply. But if what you said was actually true, I’d consider you dangerous and not reply.
Either way, I would not expect a reply if I were you.
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