Bread&steel
Member
We never see cool stuff like this were I live. This is a snap shot I took from one of the Wellborn Corridor's streaming webcams. A unit train of all pipes ! Love it!
pipe train
- Thread starter Bread&steel
- Start date
Bread&steel
Member
Looks like some project needs a lot of pipe.That's a lot of pipe per car.
Yeah, and with 5 heavies pulling it, it was a very long train.
Those trains aren't that uncommon in the western US. Whenever a large water, gas or oil pipeline project is underway they will have several cars to a whole train of pipe moving. Actually those pipe trains aren't that long as trains go. Most are a mile or less in length. My son's dorm is within a half mile of that location.
Railphotog
Railroad Photographer
We had quite a few pipe trains coming here last year, as a gas pipeline is being laid from a new LNG terminal to Maine and points south. Attaching a shot of some cars in a train not far from where I live.
kenw
5th Generation Texian
a lot of these pipe loads are going to or from houston's port. we don't have too many pipe fabricators in the area any more, but there are a lot of pipe coaters (corrosion resistant coating) are in the area and lots of companies that sell/recondition pipe like this for pipelines. Drilling or casing pipe for oil wells are more common, usually carried in mill gons; it is a lot smaller in diameter (under 12" in diameter). But a lot of these pipeline "unit" trains are simply moving thru the area being imported thru the port, or being exported thru it.
pipe trains like that one aren't too uncommon here, but not exactly common either. nice catch.
pipe trains like that one aren't too uncommon here, but not exactly common either. nice catch.
Bread&steel
Member
kenw
5th Generation Texian
As these appear to be for a pipeline (as opposed to downhole drilling or casing), my previous job in the pipeline business says you can get away with any diameter from scale 24" to 56" (very rare). Use the thinnest wall stuff you can find, or make it appear thin wall by chamfering the edge with a large drill bit to make it thin at the edge (I think brass tubing would look best).
Most pipeline pipe is coated inside and out, a defacto standard color is green, any light green would suffice. Usually the ends (1-2' from end) are uncoated for welding and appear black or really dark brown (rust). The individual pipe sections are 40' so you will need 50' flats with steel stakes and timber blocking.
It isn't uncommon to see pipe on 50' bulkhead flats or double stacked (end to end) on 86' flats.
as a side note, in our area they are laying a new water main, it is 30" plastic pipe, kind of a sickly pale green. Unfortuantely plastic pipe is flared at one end and this can be tricky to model. I've seen plastic pipe on trains, altho not solid unit trains. When it is stacked, the ends are alternated so that the flared area overhangs the end of the stack and doesn't touch/interfere with the stacking. It is usually bundled and packaged so that an entire load can be lifted out at once and dropped on a truck.
