Vol. 17 No. 5
May, 1987
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"Skeleton" Cars, Competitive Rates Topple Trucks for
Log Shipment
Winning Package:
CP Rail Sales Representative Peter Valade (left) and John Friesen, of Canadian International Timber Corporation,
oversee the loading of skeleton railcars at Taft, B.C. The special equipment and a competitive rate package secured
the traffic which would normally go to trucking companies.
With some special equipment and
competitive rates, CP Rail proved it can beat out the trucking industry even on trucks' traditional turf.
CP Rail went head to head with trucks in a bid to move 300 carloads of logs from the interior of British Columbia to
the West Coast. A key element of the proposal was the use of "skeleton" flatcars that speed loading and
increase the payload.
The logs were moved from Canadian International Timber Corporation's (CITC) site near Taft to Haney for distribution
to mills on the coast.
"The shipment would normally move by truck", said CP Rail sales representative Peter Valade, who put
together the proposal. "But we were able to lease these special flatcars and come up with a competitive rate.
The package proved a winner".
Skeleton flatcars, so named because of their open beam floors, have vertical ribs that prevent the logs from rolling
off. The ribs, equipped with chain tie-downs, eliminate the need for the strapping and bracing that
hold the logs in place on traditional open-sided flatcars.
PHONE TALKS
Costs were reduced by eliminating the labour-intensive work of strapping and bracing. Up to 10 rail cars
were loaded daily with 60-foot logs - twice the usual loading speed.
Each car carries a payload equivalent to two and a half truckloads.
Mr. Valade said time was an important factor as CITC faced a deadline on delivery of the logs. "We quickly put
together a competitive package and negotiations took less than 24 hours", he said.
"CITC President Kevin McKinney and I finalized the rate by long distance from a telephone booth on the highway
at 6 p.m. on a Friday. Shipments began the following week.
This CP Rail News article is copyright
1987 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their
permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Company.
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