Schnabel car
A Schnabel car or Schnabel wagon is a specialized type of railroad freight car. It is designed to carry heavy and oversized loads in such a way that the load makes up part of the car. The load is suspended between the two ends of the cars by lifting arms; the lifting arms are connected to an assembly of span bolsters that distribute the weight of the load and the lifting arm over many wheels.
When a Schnabel car is empty, the two lifting arms are connected to one another and the car can usually operate at normal freight train speeds. Some Schnabel cars include hydraulic equipment that will either lift or horizontally shift the load while in transit to clear obstructions along the car's route. As of 2012, there were 31 Schnabel cars operating in Europe, 30 in North America, 25 in Asia, and one in Australia.
Examples
The largest Schnabel car in public railroad operation, reporting number WECX 801, was completed in 2012 by Kasgro Railcar for Westinghouse Nuclear and is used in North America primarily to transport reactor containment vessels. It has 36 axles. Each half contains nine trucks which are connected by a complex system of span bolsters. Its tare weight is and has a load limit of for a maximum gross weight of. WECX 801 has the ability to shift its load vertically and up to laterally on either side of the car's centerline. When empty, this car measures long; for comparison, a conventional boxcar currently operating on North American railroads has a single two-axle truck at each end of the car, measures long and has a capacity of. The train's speed is limited to when WECX 801 is empty, but only when loaded, and the system requires a crew of six operators in addition to the train's crew.The second largest Schnabel car in service, owned by ABB, bears the CEBX 800 registration, and is used in North America. Built by Krupp AG, it has 36 axles. Each half has 9 bogies linked together by a complex system of span bolsters. Its tare weight is. When empty, this wagon is long. It can carry a load of long and.
History
The word Schnabel is from German Tragschnabelwagen, meaning "carrying-beak-wagon", because of the usually tapered shape of the lifting arms, resembling a bird's beak.In World War II, the German i=unset used Schnabel cars for transporting the i=unset heavy-calibre siege mortars. These were self-propelled with a continuous-track suspension chassis of substantial length to maneuver into a firing position over a short range, but depended on a pair of purpose-designed Schnabel cars for long-range transport by rail. The same system was also used at the same time for the rail transport of the French FCM 2C super-heavy armoured fighting vehicle.
In the United States, the first Schnabel car, WECX 200, was built for Westinghouse Nuclear by manufacturer Greenville Steel Car in the 1960s.
A 1972 patent application granted in 1974 described a Schnabel car claimed to be simplified and easier to use.
, there are few Schnabel cars in the world because it is a niche mode of transport and because moving huge loads at low speeds affects other railway operations. Heavy-haul and oversize transport companies prefer moving large loads on a hydraulic modular trailer, which works faster and cheaper than the railroad. Heavy loads from Schnabel cars can be shifted to a hydraulic modular trailer along with the arms and bolster, keeping the load intact.