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 Vol. 17 No. 5
 May, 1987

Stay Safe in 87
 


"Skeleton" Cars, Competitive Rates Topple Trucks for Log Shipment


Winning Package:  CP Rail Sales Representative Peter Valade (left) and John Friesen, of Canadian International Timber Corporation, oversee the loading of skeleton railcars at Taft, B.C. The special equipment and a competitive rate package secured the traffic which would normally go to trucking companies.
 
With some special equipment and competitive rates, CP Rail proved it can beat out the trucking industry even on trucks' traditional turf.
 
CP Rail went head to head with trucks in a bid to move 300 carloads of logs from the interior of British Columbia to the West Coast. A key element of the proposal was the use of "skeleton" flatcars that speed loading and increase the payload.
 
The logs were moved from Canadian International Timber Corporation's (CITC) site near Taft to Haney for distribution to mills on the coast.
 
"The shipment would normally move by truck", said CP Rail sales representative Peter Valade, who put together the proposal. "But we were able to lease these special flatcars and come up with a competitive rate. The package proved a winner".
 
Skeleton flatcars, so named because of their open beam floors, have vertical ribs that prevent the logs from rolling off. The ribs, equipped with chain tie-downs, eliminate the need for the strapping and bracing that hold the logs in place on traditional open-sided flatcars.
 
PHONE TALKS
 
Costs were reduced by eliminating the labour-intensive work of strapping and bracing. Up to 10 rail cars were loaded daily with 60-foot logs - twice the usual loading speed.
 
Each car carries a payload equivalent to two and a half truckloads.
 
Mr. Valade said time was an important factor as CITC faced a deadline on delivery of the logs. "We quickly put together a competitive package and negotiations took less than 24 hours", he said.
 
"CITC President Kevin McKinney and I finalized the rate by long distance from a telephone booth on the highway at 6 p.m. on a Friday. Shipments began the following week.

 
This CP Rail News article is copyright 1987 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
 
 
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