Eastern Railroad Discussion > Elkhart: empty well cars going west

The VR Elkhart IN camera had three westbound trains after 9 pm with all or many empty well cars and TOFC flats.

One train had a near endless string of empty wells, followed by a few double stacks, and a few empty TOFC flats.

NS is definitely vacuuming up wells and flat cars, sending them west

Posted from Android

Maybe it has to do with the backup of containers and ships (which I understand has led to a shortage of containers)? The Suez Canal blockage probably didn't help. During Covid, business in booming for China. Even if the virus didn't start in China intentionally, it sure worked to its advantage in business.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

Time to built some more well cars, pull locos out of storage and recall some workers. Problem solved.

Posted from Android

Proud Foamer
OAKLEY, CA

Too little too late. This week at least one transplant automotive assembly plant was shut down due to containers full of parts backlogged at the ports and not moving east.   

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The VR Elkhart IN camera had three westbound
> trains after 9 pm with all or many empty well cars
> and TOFC flats.
>
> One train had a near endless string of empty
> wells, followed by a few double stacks, and a few
> empty TOFC flats.
>
> NS is definitely vacuuming up wells and flat cars,
> sending them west
>
> Posted from Android

Badorder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Time to built some more well cars, pull locos out
> of storage and recall some workers. Problem
> solved.

What railroad still has crews on furlough?

JETRR Wrote:
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> Too little too late. This week at least one
> transplant automotive assembly plant was shut down
> due to containers full of parts backlogged at the
> ports and not moving east.   

Between the shortage of chips for trucks / cars which has shut down 11 plants, and backlogged containers in the western ports, the US auto assemblers are not in the best of operating shape.

Even Nio, the high flying Chinese e-car maker,, is taking a week off while they wait for chips.  Mostly from Taiwan, I've been told.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Even Nio, the high flying Chinese e-car maker,, is
> taking a week off while they wait for chips. 
> Mostly from Taiwan, I've been told.

The irony of this should be apparent.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

ntharalson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > Even Nio, the high flying Chinese e-car maker,,
> is
> > taking a week off while they wait for chips. 
> > Mostly from Taiwan, I've been told.
>
> The irony of this should be apparent.
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA

Bingo!

Posted from Android