Unit Trains -- What Are The Issues?
Unit trains, which are common in the crude oil market, consist of 60 or more tank cars carrying the same commodity to a single destination. Tank car design, along with loading and unloading processes, significantly impact rail safety and efficiency. Before crude oil unit trains, most companies left their cars uncoupled. Now, with unit trains having cars of varying lengths and platform configurations, you must take into account rail safety equipment, spotting and loading/unloading procedures. Since unit trains are almost always left coupled, you should take rail safety considerations into account to allow flexibility when positioning the gangways. It’s important to slow down, check your work and take the time to understand your rail site. Working too quickly may result in injuries or death. Why Uncoupling Is Not Ideal When it comes to rail cars, uncoupling is ideal in most situations due to the variations encountered during spotting. However, with unit trains, uncoupling is not recomm...