The Smooth Move Story We know how important damage-free transportation is to our customers. That's why we believe so strongly in the smooth double-stack ride. But sometimes it takes more than words to convince someone of the value of things. So we came up with a simple demonstration to make our point. The story begins in Los Angeles at our San Pedro terminal. There we loaded an uncreated dining room table into a 45-foot container. Then we put a tablecloth on the table along with a delicate place setting. We didn't block or brace the table in any way. And we didn't use any glue on the items in our table setting. The only precaution we took was to fasten the tablecloth to the table.  Once everything was in place, the container was hoisted onto a stacktrain for a cross-country trip to South Kearny, New Jersey, with an interchange in Chicago. When we arrived in Chicago, and at its final destination in New Jersey, we were there waiting. We opened the container and went inside. At both locations, almost everything was just the way we had left it. A few dishes had moved slightly. A few pieces of silverware had fallen to the floor. But the glassware and china were intact. NOTHING HAD BROKEN! We had an independent surveyor with us from start to finish to verify our findings. We tell this story because we know there's no better
way to ship fragile and damage-sensitive freight - indeed, any kind of freight - than on double stack trains. Because shipments consistently arrive intact and damage-free. Just the way our place setting did. Why The Ride Is Smoother APL pioneered stacktrain service in 1984 using unique double-stack railcars. The stacktrain ride is so smooth because of the special design of these cars. Less slack action. Conventional railcars are joined by coupling devices that extend and contract during routine train movement. This movement - called slack action - causes much of the freight damage associated with rail transportation. APL double-stack railcars are designed differently. One car is made up of five platforms, each of which carries two stacked containers. The platforms are joined by fixed, rigid connectors. These connectors dramatically improve ride quality by eliminating slack action between platforms and minimizing it throughout the length of the entire train. Less sway. Double-stack platforms don't sway the way traditional railcars do. This is because the articulated design
of the double-stack cars allows each platform to counteract the rolling motion of its neighbor. Also, the center of gravity is lower and there are no suspension systems and associated springs to cause sway. Less vibration. Stacktrains produce far less vibration than conventional trains or trucks. That's because there's less distance between the wheels on double-stack railcars, creating greater stability. And there are no suspension systems to amplify roadbed irregularities. Engineering Tests Confirm Ride Superiority. |
