Model Railroading > Coca Cola TOFC

"New Coke" was introduced in April 1985.  Yuck!
A few months later, this shiny toy-like trailer was on a westbound Conrail intermodal train through Penn Station, Pittsburgh PA  July 1985.
I can't believe I actually cared about the flavor of Coke as I gave up the stuff a long time ago except to keep awake if I have to drive all night.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/20 09:01 by RRTom.

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Nice catch! The only time it's a toy like car is when Tyco, or any other manufacture can't reproduce the prototype well enough to make it believable.

I would like to model that. Know where I might find a better picture?
Bill Pyper
Lacey, WA
 

A really amazing photograph and extraordinary catch. I'm guessing that tanker could be carrying the oh-so-secret formula syrup for Coca-Cola, in which case it was very, very valuable indeed. I have only seen such tank trailers on the highway a couple of times in travel all across the country, and thought to myself each time about the value that they might have carried. To see one in regular TOFC rail service just seems extraordinary.

I'd make a bet that it was on a high priority train that never stayed stopped for very long, minimizing a security risk, something which Coca-Cola logistics folks probably would have given considerable thought to in their routing instructions. Maybe I'm overthinking this, and it's not such a big deal. But in any case, it's at least a very interesting image, and a great catch. Life imitating model railroading...always interesting when that occurs!

MC
Muskegon, Michigan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/20 11:04 by ironmtn.

I've never seen a Coca-Cola tank truck at a bottling plant, but, I have seen trucks that have brought in the different ingrediants that make the syrup.
It's the formula that's the secret not the ingrediants since they have to be listed on the container.

I did a quick Google image search and can't find a photo of this trailer.
It was on a high priority intermodal/automobile train.  Stopped in Pittsburgh for about 5 minutes for a crew change then took off again.https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4994836
I would think, however, that if it was so valuable then Coca Cola would have driven it over the road.
I hope someone can do a better job researching this and shed some light on this mystery.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/20 12:55 by RRTom.

A truck full of Coke syrup isn't super valuable.  It's merely syrup that they make all day long at probably multiple locations.  Like PHall said, it's the formula of how they make that syrup that's valuable.  That formula is stored safely in a vault back at headquarters (or somewhere else).

Neat photo!  I'd like to model that too.


Chief

While that is most definitely a trailer used for the transport of corn syrup, I doubt that the trailer in the photo is loaded. The most likely explanation would be that the trailer was on either it's delivery move, or a re-position move, I'd bet on the former rather than the latter. Tank trailers are not designed to be loaded on flatcars, more specifically, they're not designed to be picked up to be loaded on to a flatcar. That is not to say that they can't with a little extra care, but that is usually reserved for a special move, such as a new trailer being delivered. Circus style loading can also be used to back the trailer on to the car, and at the date of the photo, that would've still been an option, but again most likely not reserved for a revenue move of a loaded trailer. 

Here is another example of tank trailers on a delivery move..

http://rr-fallenflags.org/ttx/ttx101378akg.jpg

Hope this helps,

Scooter

I second that it is probably a new trailer being delivered.

New trailer being delivered.   Was trucked onto the flat with the other trailer hitch(s) in the down position.
Very cool image!
 

Here's a more modern, easier-to-model version seen in Salt Lake City on April 2019.

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The box trailer also looks new, maybe its being moved for the same reason as the new tank trailer.  I also observe that the rear roll up door is uncharacteristic for intermodal use, if memory serves me the roll up door would not meet the requirements for use in intermodal service. I believe that trailers/containers need 4 latching bars on the rear doors. Others please correct me if wrong I don't have my manuals available.
CR

Thanks to everyone for their comments. So much for concerns about the value of a tank trailer loaded with Coca-Cola syrup! Before this discussion, I had never thought that TOFC would be used for new trailer delivery. One more example of why TO is so useful in gaining updated or new knowledge about the railroad industry, as well as other businesses.

MC
Muskegon, Michigan

That was once the case, but no longer.   Big companies like Estes, Roadway, UPS, and FedEx have all been using roll-up doors on flats for some time.   I guess they found a way around it or did other things to beef up the process.

WM1977 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The box trailer also looks new, maybe its being
> moved for the same reason as the new tank
> trailer.  I also observe that the rear roll up
> door is uncharacteristic for intermodal use, if
> memory serves me the roll up door would not meet
> the requirements for use in intermodal service. I
> believe that trailers/containers need 4 latching
> bars on the rear doors. Others please correct me
> if wrong I don't have my manuals available.
> CR

The box trailer has temporary lift blocks applied.  Most definatly a new delivery.

Eng.Shadetree

Fizzboy7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That was once the case, but no longer.   Big
> companies like Estes, Roadway, UPS, and FedEx have
> all been using roll-up doors on flats for some
> time.   I guess they found a way around it or
> did other things to beef up the process.
>

The trailers that have the roll up doors are not normally used in intermodal service. They're used in local delivery service that has many stops during the day.
Intermodal trailers that are lifted need the structural rigidity of the swing type doors with the four locking rods. The roll up doors will flex because they're not rigid enough.


> WM1977 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The box trailer also looks new, maybe its being
> > moved for the same reason as the new tank
> > trailer.  I also observe that the rear roll up
> > door is uncharacteristic for intermodal use, if
> > memory serves me the roll up door would not
> meet
> > the requirements for use in intermodal service.
> I
> > believe that trailers/containers need 4
> latching
> > bars on the rear doors. Others please correct
> me
> > if wrong I don't have my manuals available.
> > CR

That used to be the case, but trailers with roll-up doors have been found on just about every TOFC train for the past dozen years.   The list of roadnames is endless...



PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Fizzboy7 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That was once the case, but no longer.   Big
> > companies like Estes, Roadway, UPS, and FedEx
> have
> > all been using roll-up doors on flats for some
> > time.   I guess they found a way around it or
> > did other things to beef up the process.
> >
>
> The trailers that have the roll up doors are not
> normally used in intermodal service. They're used
> in local delivery service that has many stops
> during the day.
> Intermodal trailers that are lifted need the
> structural rigidity of the swing type doors with
> the four locking rods. The roll up doors will flex
> because they're not rigid enough.
>
>
> > WM1977 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The box trailer also looks new, maybe its
> being
> > > moved for the same reason as the new tank
> > > trailer.  I also observe that the rear roll
> up
> > > door is uncharacteristic for intermodal use,
> if
> > > memory serves me the roll up door would not
> > meet
> > > the requirements for use in intermodal
> service.
> > I
> > > believe that trailers/containers need 4
> > latching
> > > bars on the rear doors. Others please correct
> > me
> > > if wrong I don't have my manuals available.
> > > CR

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As Fizzboy has illustrated the roll up doors are well represented on trailers in intermodal service today. In the case of UPS, arguably the biggest user of roll up doors, it dates back to the early 1970’s. Their distinctive 40ft drop frame trailers which began arriving in large numbers around 1973-74, were all equipped with roll up doors. Even before those showed up though they rostered a fleet of 40ft straight frame Gindy and Strick trailers with roll up doors. These days UPS is almost exclusively roll up trailers, the only exceptions being former Overnite trailers transferred to UPS Freight, those are pretty much the only swing doors they have.

Scooter

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