The only tie in with the Q in this email is the plant in question was
orginally served by the Q and located there in 1956-57 as part of the Qs effort
to develop industry along the lines. Please feel free to forward this to any
other group that may be able to answer the question.
I have submitted an article for future publication by the BRHS on the
history of the CAT plant at Montgomery and the Q's service to it. But my
interest was picked today when I travelled from Yorkville,IL to Montgomery and
met 3 semis with high wide loads coming from the plant. I see this
everday about every 10-15 minutes or less as Yorkville is on the main route
to interstate 80 from the plant. In the 1970s I worked the job for 3 months and
we pulled 25-30 loads of earth moving equip. every day on flats headed primarily
to the west coast for export at $2K plus in charges. Currently as I pass thru
Eola and look over at the track that the job comes in on; there might be 5-8
cars of CAT loads each day.
What I really want to understand is how can the trucks haul these
montsters, almost all w/high wide permits and often with one or two escort
drivers at a rate lower than BNSF ? There are TTX flats assigned to a CAT pool
and many of them have cradles welded in place for specific tractor models. Yet
it's clear the truckers with their "low boy" trailers are taking the lions share
of the business. On each of the westbound loads I met tonight the tractors had
their wheels,hydraulic arms and buckets removed,just like they would be on a RR
flat. Since only the tractor itself was on the highway trailer I met;there
has to be one or two more with the other parts. Just like on the RR.
Can anyone explain how the truckers are beating BNSF out of this business
?
Yes curious minds work in strange ways...................
Leo Phillipp
Ps-Dont even get me started on the outbound scrap loads or inbound parts
via RR. I was there to see what happened first hand.