Freight train from China to the UK
Freight train from China to the UK
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texaxile

Original Poster:

3,752 posts

179 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
https://www.rt.com/uk/372637-china-freight-train-l...

Apologies if this has been covered before, but I'm trying to get my head around this, and I actually work for a Rail Freight operating Co.

Given that guages are different, routes not signed (by the crew) / loco's not certified, the freight is going to have to be unloaded, stood down and re loaded on other wagons, so it's not going to be the same rolling stock that leaves China which arrives here, correct?, it's not going to be a "train" per se, but much like every other intermodal service, freight from China arriving on rail wagons. Perhaps the difference in this case is that the destination and origination of all the freight is the same throughout the journey and the journey is carried out entirely on Rail.

Am I right, wrong or just worring too much?.

Secondly, anyone know how many SLU's the "train" is?. They mention 34 "carriages", wondering what kind and if one carriage is equal to one of our "conventionals" being 3 SLU's. Ta.

tight5

2,747 posts

188 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
maybe something like this is used ?

https://youtu.be/nGn0o_wFsGI

towser44

4,176 posts

144 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
I read about this earlier today. the fact it is unloaded and loaded several times over the journey, reminded me somewhat of Triggers Broom. How can it be the same train?!

MitchT

17,114 posts

238 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
I read about this - they're moving the containers onto different trains at locations where the gauge changes.

texaxile

Original Poster:

3,752 posts

179 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
tight5 said:
maybe something like this is used ?

https://youtu.be/nGn0o_wFsGI
I had considered that, but as to whether "contraptions" like that are certified throughout Europe and also in the UK is anyone's guess!.
Also, as far as I'm aware rolling stock that is used on UK Railways at least needs to be within "PPM" Maintenance schedules and checked by ground crew at certain destinations, so there's no way that it would be the same rolling stock, I would have thought.


tight5

2,747 posts

188 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
There was a DB container train that ran from China to Hamburg that used the gauge change gizmo.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/freight/single-...

Edited by tight5 on Wednesday 4th January 21:02

AJB88

15,710 posts

200 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
texaxile said:
Secondly, anyone know how many SLU's the "train" is?. They mention 34 "carriages", wondering what kind and if one carriage is equal to one of our "conventionals" being 3 SLU's. Ta.
They look similar to ours so would imagine similar SLU.