Transportation of pipes by rail using special rolling stock

Due to their characteristics, pipe products present certain challenges during transportation. Pipes can roll out of the stack sideways due to shaking and can shift longitudinally when the movement mode changes. Pipes can be securely fastened on a regular flatcar, however, mass transportation of pipe products has led to the development of a special pipe flatcar.

What and where pipe flatcars transport

Naturally, pipe flatcars are most often used specifically for transporting pipes. However, the design of this flatcar essentially allows for the transportation of round timber and sawn timber as well. Pipes are mainly transported from the manufacturing plants to consumption sites:

• Russian pipes are often transported within Russia for the construction of gas and oil pipelines, and are sent to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Europe.
• Ukrainian pipes are sent to Europe, as well as delivered to ports for shipment by sea beyond Eurasia.

Other pipe manufacturers also send their products to consumers by rail. There is only one necessary condition for transporting pipes by rail: the point of departure and the destination station must be connected by rail.

How the design of the pipe flatcar differs from other types of flatcars

Everyone is used to the loading area of a railway flatcar being a flat surface, sometimes surrounded by sides. The pipe flatcar does not look like that. It is a flat surface whose ends are bounded by walls, which is why this type of railway rolling stock is often called a pipe wagon. The end walls of the flatcar are a rigid metal frame covered with a rigid metal grid. These walls are designed to prevent the pipes from shifting forward during braking and backward during acceleration.

The side walls of the pipe flatcar are limited by removable metal posts, which are intended to prevent the pipes from rolling sideways. The posts are made removable so that loading and unloading of pipes can be done not only from the top but also from the sides.

The carrying capacity of most pipe flatcars ranges from 60 to 63 tons, but there are models with a carrying capacity of up to 70 tons. The length of flatcars of different modifications is 18.3 or about 24.5 meters.

Parameters affecting the cost of transportation

The cost of a one-time transportation is influenced by the mass and dimensional characteristics of the transported pipes, the distance they need to be transported, and transit customs duties if the cargo crosses borders. If your company transports pipes regularly, it makes sense to rent a flatcar not for a single transportation but for a longer period. This will reduce the cost of one-time transportation.