What is a rail dock?

What is a rail dock?

Rail Dock Boards offer a way to bridge the gap between a dock and railcar for safe loading and unloading of shipments. They are custom designed to meet the unique specifications of each dock site, and can work successfully with any type of railcar.

What does a loading dock do?

A loading dock, also called a loading bay, is an area of a warehouse or other building where a truck or other vehicle loads or unloads material. They are typically designed to facilitate efficient interaction with a specific type of vehicle or range of vehicle types.

What is a standard loading dock?

Loading Dock Height Standards ​​Within North American facilities, the standard dock height is 48 in. However, dock heights typically range from 48 in. (120 cm) to 52 in. (130 cm), and heights of up to 55 in. (140 cm) are not uncommon.

How are boxcars unloaded?

How Are Boxcars Loaded and Unloaded? Most often, forklifts or other mechanical devices are responsible for loading and unloading boxcars. Occasionally they may be loaded and unloaded by hand.

How much space do you need for a loading dock?

Each truck bay should be at least 12 ft wide to provide enough space for the trailers, which are 8’0″ to 8’6″ wide, to back squarely to the dock. To reduce congestion, design 14 ft wide bays. If swinging trailer doors will be opening or closing at the dock, the center distance should be at least 14 ft (Figure 32).

Where do freight trains unload?

Traditionally, large shippers build factories and warehouses near rail lines and have a section of track on their property called a siding where goods are loaded onto or unloaded from rail cars. Other shippers have their goods hauled (drayed) by wagon or truck to or from a goods station (freight station in US).

How long should a loading dock be?

Most trucks require a dock height of between 46 and 52 in. See Table 6 for dock heights that create level docks for common types of trucks. NOTE: Truck beds will rise and lower during loading and unloading.

What does a rail unloader do?

Rail Unloader This position is to prepare railcars for loading and offloading, disengaging vehicles from railcars, driving vehicles off of railcars, and preparing railcars for transportation according to…

How are trains loaded and unloaded?

Pipe or rails are usually loaded and unloaded with a crane or other mechanical device, while military equipment, heavy construction equipment, and farm equipment can be driven on and off flatcars.

Why did railroads stop using cabooses?

Until the 1980s, laws in the United States and Canada required all freight trains to have a caboose and a full crew, for safety. Technology eventually advanced to a point where the railroads, in an effort to save money by reducing crew members, stated that cabooses were unnecessary.

How long does it take to unload a railcar?

Many times, these rail cars will be of the “enclosed” type. If so, the trackside mounted Rail Car Discharger is ideal for unloading them. Unloading Unitrains: This means 100 cars of 100 ton capacity will have to be unloaded in a total time that usually varies from 4 to 8 hours.