Piggyback, sometimes described as "that happy marriage between highway and rail" and a foreign word in railroading a decade ago, has in the past few years developed into one of the most dynamic forces in the Company's operations.

This speedy and convenient method of moving loaded highway trailers on flat cars is winning new customers all along the line and from all indications the green light for this type of transport will glow with increasing brilliance as the service continues to expand.

Figures tell the story more eloquently than words. In 1958, for instance, a total of 63,216 trailers, and that would make quite a train, travelled the piggyback way. Two years later, in 1960, the total had leaped to almost double that figure, with 113,843 trailers riding flat cars to their destination.

In like fashion, there has been a sharp rise in the piggyback equipment index. Our present piggyback fleet consists of 1,140 flat cars equipped with ACF hitches. Ten of these cars were recently received from the builder earlier this year and are specially designed for container handling.

During the past several years, the various types of piggyback service have gradually become to be classified, with the result that there are so far five basic types which have gained acceptance on the North American continent. These types, designated as "plans" are as follows:

Plan I - Carriage by railroad of trailers of motor common carriers. The railroad provides the flat car and performs the rail haul.

Plan II - Carriage by railroad of trailers belonging to the railway. The railroad solicits the traffic, bills the shipper, provides the trailer, performs the pick-up and delivery, provides the rail car and performs the rail haul.

Plan III - Carriage by the railroad of trailers belonging to industry. Here again, the railroad provides the flat car and performs the rail haul.

Plan IV - The railroad performs the rail haul for shippers who furnish not only the trailer but also the flat car.

Plan V - Joint rail-truck rates. Such rates extend the territory of each carrier into that served by the other, permitting each to handle shipments originating in or destined to the other's territory.

The service had its beginnings in 1952 when Canadian Pacific established all-rail piggyback service carrying rail-billed traffic in railway owned trailers between Montreal and Toronto. This service was subsequently extended to provide service between eastern and Canadian points.

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