Amazon shipping containers are modern inspiration in Back Belt intermodal. (Crossposted to NewOrleansRailroads dot com)
Container freight at Canal Blvd.
Back Belt intermodal
Seems like it’s been a while since an intermodal consist came past Lakeview on the Norfolk Southern Back Belt. Back Belt intermodal indicates freight passing through. While so much of the traffic going by the coffee shop is local, the long trains seem to be military hardware or tank cars. I remember more shipping containers passing through, particularly during the early days of the pandemic. I would run into the coffee shop, then spend the morning writing alone, out by the commercial nursery in City Park. Along with the reefers and tank cars, you’d see long-ish intermodal consists.
Container freight in New Orleans
The riverfront terminals at Napoleon Avenue are the primary intermodal facilities along the Mississippi River at New Orleans. Some specs on capacity:
840,000 annual TEU capacity; Load bearing capacity: 1,000 psf live load (ability to stack containers 5 high); 48-acre marshalling yard; Advanced Gate Appointment System with transponders to track truck movements; Reefer plugs: 304 units (40-foot); 15 refrigerated container receptacles with 450 electrified slots; Expansion footprint provides capacity up to 1.5 million TEUs per year.
Still, Back Belt intermodal isn’t in position to go down to the riverfront.
Prototype modeling
Transfer terminal at Napoleon Avenue (courtesy Port NOLA)
The Port of New Orleans offers a great deal of potential for intermodal modeling. This photo from PortNOLA, shows the container rail transfer station at Napoleon Avenue. This would make for a good addition to a switching layout. While it would compress the actual distance, it might even be possible to run a streetcar line along the edge of the terminal. After all, the Tchoupitoulas line ran as street rail for decades.
Additionally, it’s good to see the types of containers that pass through on the Back Belt. The Amazon containers here are a darker blue than the ones I usually see on the highway. These would be easy to add to any layout.
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