Intermodal Primer

The Case of CMCU 2011400

Freight intermodalism, where, broadly speaking, commodities are shifted between modes en route to their final destination, pervades the Delaware Valley in many forms. There are domestic and international intermodal moves, as well as moves which are distinguished by their particular combination of modes (ship and rail, plane and truck, etc.). The following narrative profiles a single, actual freight shipment in the region involving multiple modes: a containerized shipment of coffee beans, originating in Sao Paulo, Brazil, passing through the Philadelphia region, and ultimately traveling to Montreal, Canada. This profile is intended to explain freight intermodalism at a rudimentary level and also to advance discussion on how the local intermodal system can be enhanced.

The particular freight shipment that was tracked was pre-selected with the assistance of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA). PRPA is a state agency which provides oversight and advocacy for the public port facilities in the Pennsylvania portion of the region. Ultimately, staff from the PRPA, the South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC), and the World Trade Division of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) are to be merged into the Port of Philadelphia and Camden (PPC), which will unify all public port management functions. In selecting a shipment to monitor, one important parameter was that it involve three modes of transport to make the case study as enlightening as possible.

The subject of this profile is CMCU 2011400, a twenty-foot long container, and its contents, three hundred (300) bags of unroasted coffee beans, each weighing 60 kilos (yielding a total commodity weight of 39,600 lbs). The container traversed the Delaware Valley between the dates of Friday, December 16, 1994 and Monday, December 19, 1994 (See Figures 1 and 2.). Within the region, the container was transported by ship along the Delaware River to the Tioga Container Terminal, was then taken by truck via I-95 to the AmeriPort facility in South Philadelphia, and finally was shipped out of the region on the freight rail line that runs parallel to the Schuylkill River.

The journey of the container and its cargo are indicative of current local transport methods for international waterborne commerce. Philadelphia, although neither the origin or final destination of the subject cargo, played an important role in its transport. While generating economic benefits, the cargo's brief appearance in the region also carries profound transportation implications.

The shipper of the coffee under study was a Brazilian firm and the consignee was a Canadian importer in Montreal. Crowley American Transport, which provides transportation services between North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, was the commodity carrier. Crowley did not actually provide all of the transportation services involved in transporting the container, contracting out for some portions of its transport, yet it had the ultimate responsibility for the container and making arrangements for its method of transport and routing. The subject container was one of a shipment of 24 containers, all containing coffee, weighing the same, attributed to the same consignee, and all destined for Montreal (except for 2 being shipped to Toronto).

Due to their ready adaptability to most modes, containers represent the quintessence of freight intermodalism. Their use in transporting a wide range of general cargoes has been steadily increasing. Furthermore, containerized cargo is no longer just an international phenomenon; now, many domestic cargoes are also transported by container. To address growth in the industry, and shortages of equipment, companies such as Crowley have committed to large intermodal capital expenditures.

Containers are subject to the guidelines of the International Standards Organization as to their physical specifications. A U.S. registry maintains data about containers and other intermodal equipment such as trailers and chassis. Each container has a unique seven digit identification number (e.g., 2011400), the first number of the series indicating if it is a 20' container ("2") or a 40 footer ("4"). The equipment pre-fix (e.g., CMCU) indicates the owner (in this case, Crowley Maritime Corporation) and whether it is a container ("U") or a railroad eligible trailer ("Z"). Containers are generally 20 or 40 feet in length; between 8 feet, 6 inches and 9 feet, 6 inches in height; and 8 feet in width. They have small notches called corner castings at all corners, top and bottom, to permit stacking and hoisting by crane. Many have corrugated surfaces to provide structural strength. Steel "skins" are very prevalent, except for temperature-controlled containers, called "reefers," that are made of aluminum. Reefers do not necessarily convey frozen goods. They are used to control cargo temperatures and to neutralize the potentially harmful effects of ambient air temperatures, cold or hot. Reefers pose greater challenges in transport in that they require electric power at all times and their performance must be monitored. Most containers open from the rear, via two doors that swing open, although some have open-tops to permit top-loading. Seals are used to provide a measure of security and assure the integrity of the cargo.

The subject container was 19', 11" long and was manufactured by the JINDO Corporation of Korea in March of 1992. Crowley, in addition to being the freight carrier in this instance, was also the owner of the container. The container's empty (i.e., tare) weight is 5,070 lbs., its maximum gross weight with contents 52,910 lbs., and its allowable stack weight (i.e., the amount of weight that can be stacked on it) 423,280 lbs. This particular container was not equipped with a transponder, a device which can be used to relay information about the container's status and location.

In this instance, container CMCU 2011400 and its contents originated in the Brazilian port city of Santos. The coffee was loaded into the container at Santos and was probably placed on the ship on December 2. With the coffee stored inside in individual burlap bags, the container was nearly full to the top.

The container was transported by the M.S. (motor ship) Sea Wolf, a Wolf class ship owned by Crowley. The Sea Wolf makes continuous voyages and provides scheduled service between Philadelphia and the east coast of South America. Its sister ships, the Sea Lion and Sea Fox, make similar voyages at staggered and coordinated intervals. The vessel is an American flag ship which identifies Philadelphia as its port of registry. One cycle, Philadelphia to South America and back, takes about 42 days; each voyage is slightly different and entails different ports of call in Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, and the United States.

On this particular voyage (number 67), the vessel had journeyed as far south as Buenos Aires, Argentina. It then turned northward, stopping in Imbituba, Brazil before arriving in Santos, a port city in the state of Sao Paulo. The Sea Wolf sailed for the United States on December 3 and, after a stop in Jacksonville, Florida, proceeded towards Philadelphia. Among the ship's contents were shoes, seafood, chemicals, dog chewies, and even some empty containers. Brazil's top 5 exports to the United States are footwear, coffee, tires, tobacco, and auto products and parts.

Trade ties between Latin America and this region are well established. South American fruit, for example, is very prominent. Some have suggested that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is actually a precursor to a full hemispheric trade agreement. If this is true, and trade barriers are, in fact, lowered, Philadelphia, with a natural "north-south" trade lane, may be very well positioned for future trading growth with Latin America.

The Sea Wolf was built in Denmark in 1984. It is a medium size ship, 199 meters in length. The ship is principally designed to accommodate containers: it can hold up to 1,936 20-foot containers and has 27 slots for 40-foot containers (The ship, therefore, has a capacity of 1,990 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs.). Special facilities are on board to accommodate 200 temperature-controlled containers, or reefers (These are included in the 1,990 TEUs.).

The ship has 9 holds for containers towards the front of the vessel (i.e., the bow) and accommodations for direct truck access via a ramp (i.e., roll-on, roll-off, or ro-ro) towards the rear of the vessel (i.e., the stern). At the stern, containers may also be stacked, just behind the bridge and superstructure. The vessel also has two cranes on board which can be used to manipulate containers at ports where cranes are not available. Containers are stacked seven deep in the holds, secured by hatches, and topped off by additional containers fastened together on deck (up to 4 high). On this particular voyage, 22 crew members were aboard. The captain was a relief captain, one who performed rotations aboard the Sea Wolf and her sister ships. The ship is comfortable and is equipped with some special amenities such as a small basketball court.

Thursday, December 15
The Sea Wolf arrived at Cape Henlopen off the coast of Delaware at 11:00 PM on Thursday, December 15. At a specially designated location about 20 minutes off-shore (i.e., the "Pilot Area"), a locally based pilot from The Pilots' Association for the Bay and River Delaware was taken alongside the vessel by a small launch where he then boarded the vessel by scaling a ladder extended from the Sea Wolf. The Pilots' Association is housed in a former Coast Guard station adjacent to the Delaware-side terminal of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Like other ports throughout the country, the pilots board all large international vessels to assist the ship's captain with guiding the vessel through the primary channels of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers which have a maximum project dredging depth of 40 feet (These pilots are also used for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.)

For the trip, the vessel's reported deepest draft was 27' 10". The pilot was the son of a former pilot - other instances of related family members can be observed from the Pilots' roster of 77 active pilots. The Delaware River channel is considered somewhat narrow and local familiarity with the waters, therefore, is desirable. Pilots accompany vessels both up and down the Delaware River. On December 15, the Pilots' Association provided assistance to 10 ships sailing from Philadelphia and 18 which were inbound.

Trips along the Delaware River between the Delaware Bay entrance and Philadelphia require about 8 hours for large vessels; the Tioga Marine Terminal is just under 90 nautical miles from the Delaware Bay entrance. Pilots keep a vigilant watch for other craft and unexplained lights. From the bridge, the vessel was guided by the captain, pilot, chief mate, and helmsman. At nighttime, range lights are used by the pilots to line the vessel with the center of the channel.

The following anecdotal information demonstrates that river traffic and conditions are not unlike the transport of commodities on land. At one point of the vessel's trip, the Sea Wolf began to overtake a bulk liquids tanker and its tug. The tanker was piloted by a federal pilot (who may navigate vessels between all American ports, while all international vessels require a local pilot) who was uncomfortable with shifting his vessel closer to the shore to permit the Sea Wolf unobstructed passage. At the same time, a car carrier converged on the same location from the opposite direction. Constant radio communications and expertise averted any mishaps, but the incident did serve to illustrate that traffic congestion can occur on the region's waterways. Vertical clearances in the Delaware River, too, can be a problem and ships may have to lower their masts. Through the center of Philadelphia, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge has the lowest vertical clearance along the vessel's route to the Tioga terminal: 129 feet.

Friday, December 16
Most large ships like the Sea Wolf average 10-13 knots, or 12-15 mph, when moving through constricted waterways, such as the Delaware River. Due to the need to keep to a narrow channel, large vessels essentially have the right-of-way over smaller craft. Journeying northward, one of the first notable sights was the Port of Wilmington, a competitor to Philadelphia for shipping activity.

Entering the Delaware Valley region via the Delaware River, one immediately encounters an oil refinery in Marcus Hook. It is one of many reminders on both sides of the river that the Philadelphia region has one of the largest oil refinery complexes in the nation, and that most of the freight tonnage handled on the river is oil and petroleum products. Also observable are several anchorage points, pre-determined locations outside of the main channel where vessels can temporarily remain at rest.

The local ports draw a variety of products from all over the world. Some of the more prominent commodities handled at the various facilities in the region and their origins are paper products from Scandinavia, cocoa beans from West Africa, steel from Japan, and meat from Australia.

Having reached the north side of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, a tugboat pulled alongside the Sea Wolf and a special docking master boarded to relieve the local pilot and to dock the vessel at the Tioga Container Terminal. When a vessel departs from the port, a docking master and pilot are similarly found on board to fulfill these respective rolls. A local agent, Inchcape Shipping Services of Philadelphia, had made the arrangements for these services for this voyage of the Sea Wolf.

The ship docked at the container terminal (just south of the Delair railroad bridge) at 7:45 AM. Petty's Island in New Jersey, which is served by Crowley container and ro-ro barges to and from Puerto Rico and other Caribbean destinations, was visible to the southeast. The Tioga Fruit Terminal, adjacent and south of the Tioga Container terminal, did not have any vessels to service. Solely within the Delaware Valley region, the total transit time of the vessel was about three hours.

The Tioga Container Terminal is owned by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. Crowley leases a portion of it for its operations there. Stevedoring is performed by the Delaware River Stevedores (DRS). Recently, in an effort to help the port's competitiveness, labor and management representatives have agreed to some changes in the work rules. For example, gang sizes have been reduced, workers are permitted to do more than one function, and some extended work hours are paid at the regular wage rate. The facility is open from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays, but ship servicing can be handled at virtually any time.

The chief mate of the ship is charged with oversight of the cargo. He prepares a stow plan and closely monitors the placement of cargo on board to assure equilibrium and the seaworthiness of the vessel. CMCU 2011400 was located in the fifth hold, on the forward side (i.e., towards the front of the vessel. Most holds have a forward side, and an aft (rear) side to accommodate two 20 foot containers end to end.).

Each hold of the Sea Wolf is sub-divided into three separate sections; looking from the bridge towards the front of the vessel, the left and right sections have 3 container slots, while the center section has 4 container slots divided by cell guides. The subject container was located in the center section, and the third row from the left (looking from the bridge to the bow). As the stow plan indicated, the container was stored underneath the hatch, and was the second from the bottom.

Shortly after the vessel's arrival, Crowley representatives from the Tioga site and longshoremen from the DRS joined the Sea Wolf's crew in unloading the cargo. Crowley and others maintain trailer-offices at the Tioga facility. Two gangs of 18 stevedores and two crane operators assisted with the operation. The Crowley employees oversaw moving the cargo from ship to land; the longshoremen un-lashed the above-hatch containers and drove the containers into the terminal yard. The operation demonstrated that handling containerized cargo is more labor intensive than other commodities such as wet and dry bulk.

In unloading the ship, the first major task was undoing the metal lashing and "pineapples" that bind together the containers perched atop the hatches. As these were undone, the laborers often dropped the securing hardware onto the ledges at hatch level. A technician also examined two reefer containers whose meters on the outside of the "box" indicated that they were not maintaining proper temperatures.

A profile of freight intermodalism would not be complete without some reference to the numerous men and women who provide and support transportation services. These individuals utilize intricate technologies and processes. Working conditions are often adverse, yet their collective dedication and competence generally assures the safe achievement of the desired end results.

Two large gantry cranes (dating from 1969 and 1974) positioned on land were used to unload the ship's containers. Crane operators, perched high up in cabs, move laterally on a set of tracks to align themselves correctly with the hold, before swooping down on the cargo. The cranes have spreader units that are guided onto the tops of the container by flippers; special pins then twist inside the corner castings and this permits the crane to lift and move the container.

Containers are picked off the ship and then generally set down on a waiting chassis connected to a yard-hustler (tractors which are for terminal use only). A container "pick" from the ship lasts any where from 1-3 minutes, depending upon the location of the container, the presence of an awaiting chassis and driver, and the skill of the crane operator. Some cranes exist that can manipulate two containers simultaneously. Marked cars with checkers sit near the crane and tick off each container as it is removed, and instruct the crews where to place the containers. The cranes and their operators must also remove the hold hatches and place them temporarily on shore in order to access the below-hatch containers (i.e., those in the hold). In many cases, containers are taken off the ship, in order to access other containers, and are then re-loaded onto the vessel.

As mentioned previously, the ship's cargo must be positioned properly to assure the vessel's equilibrium in transit. The cargoes are the responsibility of the ship's crew while on board and then, once they touch the dock, are the responsibility (in this case) of Crowley's intermodal division, who also make the land-side transportation arrangements (i.e., truck and rail connections).

Following an hour break for lunch from 1-2 PM, container CMCU 2011400 was pulled off the vessel by the crane operator at 2:20 PM, about an hour earlier than was estimated in the morning. Like many containers before it, the crane placed it on a chassis and the driver then took it to spot #MM-52 in the adjacent storage area. There, the driver backed the container in place, and then detached his yard hustler from it and the chassis. Later, a checker would come by and note the location of the container. The container would remain parked in the storage area for the ensuing weekend.

U.S. Customs paperwork for many commodities is often done by the carrier in advance. The process works much like it does for individual overseas travelers in that a declaration of items must be submitted. The coffee required a transportation entry form ("T. and E.") because the commodity was not destined for the United States and was merely passing through.

The longshoremen worked until 6:00 PM unloading the Sea Wolf. A total of 239 loaded containers, 141 empty containers, and 30 reefers were unloaded from the ship. The Sea Wolf then immediately sailed for Norfolk, Virginia. After dispensing of the ship's remaining cargo in Norfolk, it was scheduled to go into "drydock" for routine maintenance and a thorough check-up in Norfolk (painting, propeller inspection, etc.). This procedure is required of all vessels every two and a half years after they reach a certain age. As a result of the scheduled drydocking, the vessel took no cargo aboard in Philadelphia, thereby accelerating its turn-around time. Following its drydocking (about 10 days), the Sea Wolf would resume its normal cycling between South and North America.

Monday, December 19
The Philadelphia-based Intermodal Division of Crowley Transport had made arrangements with a trucking company located in Palmyra, New Jersey (Northstar) to transport (or "dray") the shipment of coffee to a local intermodal rail facility. Most arriving containers at Tioga are at least initially transported by truck. There are railroad tracks that lead right to the Tioga piers, but they are not heavily utilized.

Reporting to work at about 7:00 AM this day, Northstar's driver received the day's first instructions from his dispatcher: retrieve container CMCU 2011400 from the Tioga Container Terminal and take it to AmeriPort (the Delaware River Port Authority's intermodal railroad terminal) in South Philadelphia. The driver, a veteran, was very familiar with this task, having performed it innumerable times before. Like all truck drivers, he was bound to maintain a log book of his day's activities and cannot drive more than ten hours in one 24-hour period.

The driver departed from the truck terminal in Palmyra at about 7:30 AM and drove his tractor without a chassis (i.e., "bobtailed") to the Tioga Marine Terminal via the Betsy Ross Bridge, Richmond Street, Lewis Street, and Delaware Avenue. The tractor was a Mack with 9 speeds and contained a regular size bed in the rear of the cab. En route, many truck terminals and generators could be observed in the Bridesburg and Port Richmond sections of Philadelphia. The concentration of these trucking locations reminded one that conflicts between truck activity and residential neighborhoods have arisen in this area.

During the short trip to Tioga, Lewis Street, in particular, was in poor condition: dirty, bumpy, and traversed by many railroad tracks. The driver commented that compared to the rest of the nation, East Coast auto drivers were the least considerate of trucks and that better public education regarding trucks was needed.

At the Tioga Marine Terminal, truckers discharging or picking up cargo have various procedural steps to contend with at or near the terminal gate (separate from actually retrieving or dropping off their freight in the yard). Generally, there are at least three aspects to both entering and exiting the facility: picking up or turning in a gate pass at the guard house, clearing an equipment interchange receipt (i.e., a T.I.R) with the carrier and terminal operator that specifies the condition of the equipment picked up or discharged (e.g., the container and chassis) , and passing the inspection of the equipment by terminal inspectors. If queues of drivers form at any of these points, the drivers are delayed, and they are sometimes forced to wait outside unprotected from the elements. The hours of the Tioga trucking operations are 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with a reduction in staffing at lunch time.

On this occasion, many trucks were clustered around the container terminal gate and Delaware Avenue in both directions. Not having a container or chassis, the driver was able to bypass the inspection bay and head directly into the terminal yard. The T.I.R. indicated that the container had routine dents and scratches (condition code #25). However, the driver was unsure if the container was on a chassis. If it were not, a lengthy delay of up to two hours might be incurred to secure a chassis and have the container placed on it.

Having located container CMCU 2011400, the driver backed his tractor up to the chassis. The tractor contains a "fifth-wheel" with a locking device that, as the tractor is backed up to the chassis, envelops the pin of the chassis. Having successfully made this coupling, the driver then got out of the cab, attached the light and brake cables (service and emergency) of the tractor to the chassis, and then cranked the dolly legs up off the ground. The driver completes a visual inspection to assure that the T.I.R. and its assessment of the equipment are accurate.

Throughout the Tioga container yard, one can observe containers on chassis and some stacked on top of each other. Tioga also includes a "reefer-bank" with special outlets to accommodate reefer containers.

Large, 5-axle tractor-trailer (or tractor, container, and chassis) combinations are restricted to a total weight of 80,000 pounds. Trucks exceeding this weight limit require a special permit from the state and/or the city of Philadelphia. In Pennsylvania, weight restrictions are enforced by the Department of Transportation (PennDOT). PennDOT personnel use portable scales; they can often be found near port facilities checking truck weights and other items related to safety and regulations.

Recently, in Pennsylvania, legislation was passed which will establish a permitting process for companies to allow them to haul international containers at an increased weight, but not exceeding 90,000 lbs. (with trailer and chassis). The legislation was initiated to enhance the competitiveness of the state's ports, particularly Philadelphia, because many states along the East Coast already provide for a similar weight allowance.

After receiving the necessary clearances, the driver, cargo in tow, pulled out of the Tioga terminal at 8:20 AM, the retrieval of the container requiring about 40 minutes. He then drove to Allegheny Avenue, entered southbound I-95, exited I-95 just below Center City to Columbus Boulevard, drove along Columbus Boulevard until the left-hand turn into the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal entrance, and then proceeded south on Old Delaware Avenue. Within a short distance, the driver made a right towards the AmeriPort facility. This service road, and the roads within AmeriPort, are constructed of ground-up millings from old highways.

AmeriPort, which is operated by the Port of Philadelphia and Camden, is the newest intermodal facility in the region. Like the Tioga terminals, one finds terminal managers (the AmeriPort staff) and frequent users (e.g., CP Rail) with their own office/trailers. Work in the yard is performed by Teamsters.

AmeriPort consists of three parallel tracks, all of which run east-west for 2,000 feet; from north to south, the tracks are referred to as: the runner, north, and south tracks. Overflow from the terminal can be seen on tracks at the southern end of Columbus Boulevard. Train sets are assembled (or disassembled) by using all three sets of track. The yard also contains storage locations for trailers, containers, and chassis (one section runs parallel to the train tracks. A newer storage lot is located north of the tracks.). AmeriPort, by virtue of its proximity to the Packer Avenue Marine Terminals, affords port access to the region's three Class I freight railroads: Conrail, CP Rail, and CSX. CP has trackage rights only and must obtain clearance from the other two railroads each time they access the terminal.

The facility, which opened in 1992, is already nearing capacity in track and storage space and is looking to expand its operations. At this point, the facility has reached 5,000 lifts per month (trailers or containers placed on or taken off trains). Most of these moves are domestic in nature, not international. Utilization of a portion of the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard (PNSY), adjacent to Conrail's Greenwich Yard, is under consideration as a potential site for intermodal expansion in South Philadelphia.

At present, CSX uses the facility the most intensively of the three Class I railroads. CP's usage is highest from January until June; then, because of Canadian annual meat quotas, the volume of northbound CP trains decreases. At the same time, CSX train volumes tend to increase between July and December (in large part due to the year-end holidays). Conrail currently does little activity at AmeriPort; the majority of its intermodal activity occurs at its Morrisville facility in Bucks County.

A recent improvement has greatly helped operations at AmeriPort. Spaces between sections of the three tracks were filled in. This permits vehicles passage over the tracks and much greater flexibility in performing tasks in the terminal.

The preceding weekend had been a busy one at AmeriPort (The facility is open virtually around the clock, seven days a week.). On a normal weekday, the facility will service two arriving CSX trains and one departing CSX train to Atlanta (between, roughly, 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM), and one arriving and one departing CP train (between, roughly, 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM). Train arrival and departure times are not always strictly adhered to and outbound trains rarely occur on weekends.

At AmeriPort, the truck driver transporting CMCU 2011400 presented his paperwork to the terminal operator. There is currently no facility control directly at the entrance, although the terminal is policed. The container was marked on its side with an "M" in chalk to indicate that it would be destined for Montreal. This assists in identifying the destination of the container as the train is being prepared for departure that evening. The truck driver is then told where to proceed in the yard with the container.

At 8:45 AM, the driver pulled up parallel to the rail car the container would be placed on. Due to their length, most rail cars can accommodate more than one container (placed end to end) at a time (often, up to 2 trailers, 4 empty 20 footers, or 3 loaded and 1 empty 20 footers). The yard's mobile crane, a "piggy-packer," plucked the container off the chassis and then placed it on the rail car. Unlike containers, trailers are picked up from their underside. Terminal personnel were on hand to assure that the containers and trailers were secured in place on the cars. In addition to trucks, yard jockeys were in evidence ferrying containers and trailers between parked locations and the rail cars.

Containers on flat cars (COFC) and trailers on flat cars (TOFC) are now very common on trains. Boxcars are still used for some commodities, such as tires, canned goods, paper, and some produce. Covered "gondolas" for products such as steel and "high-cubes" (9' 6") for coal are also found. Some trains also include generator cars that supply power to reefer units. Automotive tri-level cars are the state-of-the-art for the transport of cars and trucks.

Following removal of container CMCU 2011400, the truck driver, with tractor and chassis, returned to the AmeriPort trailer area to phone his dispatcher and receive instructions for his next task. At this time, the driver was instructed to pick up another 20-foot container at AmeriPort and transport it to the Tioga terminal. The new container contained a "hazardous" load of para-dichlorobenzene being transported to Brazil.

Upon returning to the Tioga facility, the truck driver dropped off the new container, and then picked up another full 20 footer (also from the Sea Wolf) to take back to AmeriPort. Leaving this third container at AmeriPort, he returned to Tioga with only a chassis. Upon each visit to Tioga and AmeriPort, the driver went through the required procedural and security steps. Due to the proximity of I-95 and Columbus Boulevard and many different ramps, there are several different ways to get to and from I-95 from the South Philadelphia port area.

Following the dray movements back and forth between Tioga and AmeriPort, the driver went home to rest before setting out for Saratoga Springs, New York with an empty 40-foot container to pick up a shipment of cans. All of the morning's activities (starting and ending at the truck terminal in Palmyra) took the driver about 6 hours.

At about 6:30 PM, the CP Rail train crew began to undertake the final assembly of the evening's train. The yard engineer guided the yard engine backwards and forwards according to the instructions of his conductor, who coupled cars and threw track switches. As the yard engine advanced forward, the conductor radioed, "Two boxcars. One boxcar." as the cars neared their coupling. The cars are joined together when the two knuckles lock and the pin drops. A stretch test is done to assure a sound coupling. At one point, the compression of the brake lines that run from car to car was lost. The yard engine was operated from the rear of what would eventually become the train. The yard engine moved back and forth and juggled cars from track to track. Empty cars were shifted onto the south track. These cars later obstructed passage onto the north track and had to be shifted further west on the south track so that the train could get by.

CP's train, #557, runs northbound nightly from AmeriPort (at least Monday through Friday). It runs intact until Binghamton, New York, where Montreal and Toronto (and west) cargoes are split apart. The train had three engines, all of which were operating. The train crew included an engineer and a conductor (At one time, crews numbered 5. On occasion, a third individual, a train man, will accompany the crew and assist the conductor with his duties.). The engineer and conductor had brought the arriving CP train into Philadelphia that morning. After resting at a center city hotel during the day, they returned to AmeriPort for the return trip to Allentown.

The load list indicated that the train consisted of 26 cars. The subject container was on rail car #SOO 55216, the 15th car in the train set. The cars, in order, behind the engines were broken down as follows: 5 cars destined for Chicago, 4 for Toronto, 8 for Montreal, and 9 with steel (labeled hot because the cars are dedicated to a particular service). The train included 13 trailers, 43 containers (five 40-footers and thirty-eight 20-footers), and 9 gondolas of steel that had been taken off a ship that day at the adjacent Packer Marine Terminal. The engines were positioned at the front of the train. Due to the weight of the steel and the terrain north of Allentown, the engines would be re-positioned to the end of the train at Allentown. Freight trains no longer have cabooses; they have been replaced with a bright, flashing red light that is attached to the last car of the train.

Following a brake test, at 7:30 PM, the conductor radioed Conrail's South Philadelphia Yard Master to gain permission to proceed. The various tracks leading from AmeriPort belong to Conrail and CSX. CP Rail, because it has trackage rights only, must seek radio and signal clearances from the owning railroad to proceed. Within Philadelphia, this requires 3 separate clearances. Since there was a Conrail train ahead, #557 proceeded slowly, and sometimes came to a complete stop.

Cargo security on trains (and elsewhere) is always a concern. Cargo is most vulnerable when trains are stopped due to heavy train traffic and/or are awaiting track clearances. Trains can be more than a mile long, and there are often only two crew members in the engine. In South Philadelphia, for example, some incidents have occurred where local residents have broken into containers and trailers on delayed trains and removed their contents.

The train's initial route through Philadelphia paralleled I-95. The train then ran north along 26th Street, crossed Passyunk Avenue, and then entered the CSX Eastside Yard. Many oil facilities were observed. At CSX's Eastside Yard (or, "R.G."), the train was to pick up 39 more cars to add to the train. This number of cars was relatively high because no northbound trains had operated over the weekend. At Eastside, CSX's main line peels off in a southerly direction. The area represents a logistical choke-point in that trains must be backed up to negotiate the adjacent river crossing.

As required, the CP conductor entered the CSX R.G. Building at 8:45 PM to report to the yard master. Once there, the conductor requested additional F.R.A. paperwork to identify containers with hazardous materials. The yard master, unfamiliar with this request, instructed the conductor to go to a room on a lower floor to wait at a printer for the papers to be produced. Once he obtained the papers, the conductor helped attach the 39 cars immediately behind the engines. Despite the relatively short distance from AmeriPort to the Eastside Yard, a total of two hours and thirty minutes was required to get fully under way, only slightly less than the amount of time it would take the train to get from Philadelphia all the way to Allentown.

Leaving the Eastside Yard at 10:05 PM, the train wound northward on tracks just east of the Schuylkill River. The train entered a large tunnel that goes under the Philadelphia Museum of Art, continued along the Schuylkill River, and then crossed onto its west side via the Columbia Bridge at Belmont near Montgomery Drive. There, the train linked up with the soon-to-be completed double-stack container route linking the port of Philadelphia with Conrail service areas to the west and CP Rail service areas in Canada. (A CSX doublestack route to the south has yet to be undertaken.) Along the way, the number of tracks varied, from one or more. In one case, several rails cars were temporarily stored on a track.

The train went through the Flat Rock Tunnel, one of 130 doublestack rail clearance sites in Pennsylvania. Just west of this point, material extracted from the tunnel was piled up. Near Conshohocken, several industrial uses could be seen from the train. Also observed were a dead deer and a decayed tree collapsed onto the tracks. Many interlockings were also observed including Park, River, Falls, and Norris.

Speed limits for the train varied from 20 to 50 miles per hour. Limits tend to be lower in and near Philadelphia and higher outside of the city. For example, near the Philadelphia Zoo, the speed limit is 20 mph; west of Norristown, the speed limit is 50 mph.

In Bridgeport Borough in Montgomery County, the train traversed several at-grade intersections: at Depot Street, Mill Street, Green Street, DeKalb Pike, and Ross Road. A railroad devotee could be seen in his apartment complex swinging a lantern as the train passed. Just ahead, ran a nightly Conrail mail train. Just west of Bridgeport, in Upper Merion Township and Norristown, a railroad bridge crosses over the Schuylkill River. This crossing leads east towards the Conrail Morrisville facility in Bucks County.

The train continued along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, passing the Abrams Yard and Valley Forge area. This section of track has been proposed for joint freight/passenger uses between Norristown and Reading. Then, just prior to exiting the region near Pottstown, the train passed through the Black Rock Tunnel and over the Schuylkill River.

Epilogue
Train #557 continued west to Reading and then north to Binghamton, New York. Arriving at Binghamton at noon on December 20, the train set was separated into westbound and northbound traffic. The subject container and rail car were switched to the northbound Montreal train, #553. Train #553 departed Binghamton around 3:00 PM, passed through Canadian Customs at Rouses Point, and then arrived at the Lachine Intermodal Yard, just outside of Montreal, at 1:30 AM on December 21. The total train trip, a distance of 483 miles, required about 30 hours. The container was then to be stored at the yard and ultimately retrieved by the importer following its release.

This particular journey of container CMCU 2011400 was nearly completed. It had lasted 18 days and covered 6,000 miles, at a shipping cost of about $2,000. This trip profile provides a useful example of freight intermodalism and also highlights the pivotal role played by the Delaware Valley as a freight distribution center. It is particularly interesting to note the number of actors involved with a container move, how these disparate actors come together, and also how each mode must face similar problems.