Well cars

[Mlminto]

Hi. You know being new to the hobby there are so many things that I'll be seeing for the 1st time. I was not familiar with "well cars" until recently. Does anyone know are they used in Japan? If so, do you know anyone who makes a Japanese N gauge set of well cars (you know, that would have Japanese writing on them, rather than English)? Thanks for any info, Mike

Edited November 14, 2022 by Mlminto

[bill937ca]

Never seen a double stack in Japan. The concept completely doesn't work. Japanese containers are loaded and unloaded by fork lifts. Japan is mountainous and there are many legacy tunnels to deal with. Something like 70% is slopes that cannot be inhabited.

 

A JR video. Shows much of the process.

 

 

Container loading and unloading competition = JR Freight

 

 

Another JR video.

 

 

[cteno4]

As bill notes standard marine containers just won’t make clearances in most places in japan. But some koki 104s were made to take standard marine 40’ containers for some limited runs from port to I think it was factories in places with ample clearances. Just don’t see this much at all. 
 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10048555

 

jeff

[Guest]

I don’t think it has anything to do bridges, tunnels, etc. They just wouldn’t clear the overhead power cable on electrified lines.

[bill937ca]

Typical JRF container unloading.

 

 

 

[bill937ca]

Just for reference, this is a typical JRF freight consist.

 

 

[Mlminto]

Thanks for all the disappointing answers, all 🙂 - just kidding.  I think those well cars really look good!  Great videos; now I'm not sure if I will add them to my layout; gonna have to think on it.  Mike

[disturbman]

It's not just Japan, they are very, very few places on the globe that use double-stack cars. Rest of the world use single-stack container carriers.

[railsquid]

16 hours ago, Bob Martin said:

I don’t think it has anything to do bridges, tunnels, etc. They just wouldn’t clear the overhead power cable on electrified lines.

 

It's both - even on unelectrified lines, a putative double-stacked container would end up with substantial damage to the upper container the moment it tried to pass under pretty much anything.

 

3 hours ago, disturbman said:

It's not just Japan, they are very, very few places on the globe that use double-stack cars. Rest of the world use single-stack container carriers.

 

The exceptions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-stack_rail_transport#Outside_North_America