The Real Deal--Schnabel Car
By Frederick Claaussen

How does one transport a 647,000-pound Siemens-Westinghouse natural gas generator? Keep in mind, that other than rocket booster engines, this is the biggest that they make and probably the largest payload on rail.

The 22-axle “Schnabel Car” measures 178 feet, 11 inches long and, is 730,000 pounds when empty and with its load, weighs 1.4 million pounds. A standard railroad car has only 8 axles and is about 50 feet in length.

This particular cargo started in Hamilton, Ontario bound for an 1,100-mile journey to Alabama, bypassing tunnels that are not wide enough, curves that are too sharp, and other hazards.

The car is 19 feet high and 14 feet, 1 inch wide and is equipped with a massive hydraulic system that can shift its load upward one foot, or sideways 14 inches, enabling it to maneuver around passing trains and other obstructions. And someone must always keep a look-out in the caboose’s “crow’s nest” for oncoming traffic.

Both the Schnable Car and caboose are linked to a satellite tracking system so operators always know where to find the cargo.

The Schnable Car and its cargo are not permitted to travel faster than 25 mph, and even at that speed, nothing is certain with the heavy load as the loads have been known to jump the tracks.

It will take two to three days, using cranes and trucks, to unload the generator, and then the empty car will return to Canada, load another generator and make another trip.

Photos taken crossing Chattahoochee River, Phenix City Alabama, December 30, 2001.