Railway transportation of equipment: for and against

In today's world, distances are no longer as important as they were 50 years ago. A car from Germany, a mini excavator from England, a tractor from the United States, and a bulldozer from Japan have long been working on the same site in St. Petersburg. The transfer of cars is delivered "on stream", and delivery of non-self-propelled special vehicles is just an ordinary transport service. In this article we will consider such kind of transport service as railway transportation of special equipment, oversized and industrial equipment.

Railway transportation is carried out by:

• In large tonnage containers;
• On specialized platforms (large-size and multi-tonnage loads, the platforms are excellent for the transport of special equipment);
• In conventional universal wagons;
• In covered wagons;
• In gondola cars (only bulk goods);
• In postal and baggage cars ;
• In tanks (only liquid cargo);
• On truck platforms.

Transportation of special equipment (for example, crawler excavators, bulldozers, loaders) and equipment (drilling rigs, piles , machine tools and parts) by rail is carried out mainly on platforms, less often in large-capacity containers (this usually refers to mini excavators, hinged Equipment and machine parts).

Transportation by rail is a very common form of transport service, so many transport companies immediately offer to deliver the equipment by rail , without considering other options. However, before agreeing to transport by rail, it is worth to get acquainted with the main advantages and disadvantages of this type of transportation.

Advantages of transportation by rail:

• Of course, the main advantage of transportation by rail is the ability to transport large volumes over long distances;
• The developed network of railways allows to deliver cargo practically to any point not only in Russia, but all over the world .
• One of the important advantages of the railway network is that access roads leading directly to the territory are often laid to large industrial and agricultural enterprises, which greatly facilitates the delivery of oversized machines or non-self-propelled special equipment;
• The railway is the only way to deliver cargo to the Far North.
• High capacity of wagons allows to transport more cargo in one unit of rolling stock, which saves not only financial but also temporary resources.
• The dimensions of the wagons allow transportation of such large-sized and oversized cargoes as pile-driving and drilling rigs, quarry equipment, agricultural machines, in one composition with conventional equipment. This is especially advantageous when building a car park "from zero" or for starting a new workshop.
• The versatility of the railway transport makes it indispensable for the recruitment of a new enterprise or the opening of a new workshop, since the combination of different types of carriages in one composition allows the delivery of machinery, technological equipment, special equipment and attachments to the work place simultaneously with raw materials for the immediate launch of production. In fact, a single transportation of the whole plant can be carried out by rail.
• A very important point is the high degree of safety of goods when transporting by rail. And it's not just about the physical safety of fragile cargo, which provides a rigid construction of cars, special fastening systems on platforms and minimal shaking while driving. When transporting by rail, the maximum safety of material values is ensured due to the fact that the convoys are constantly moving along an isolated canvas, outside the populated areas, the wagons are sealed, and often the goods are accompanied by professional protection.
• Another significant advantage of rail transportation is the independence of the railway from climatic conditions, which allows rail transportation at any time of the year, regardless of seasonal changes.
• The uninterrupted operation of railway transport is a very significant factor, which helps to make a choice in favor of transportation by rail. A complex network of railways is a highly organized transport system with clear and unchanged traffic schedules, which guarantees the receipt of cargo on time.

Why transport by train cheaper?
It should be understood that the cost of rail freight for all of the above is relatively low. A number of factors contribute to the cost reduction:

1. The cargo, which is determined by the oversized for trucking, can be dimensional for transportation by rail.
2. The dimensions of the railway transport allow transporting the equipment without dismantling it, excluding the costs of dismantling / installation.
3. The sizes of trains make it possible to transport large quantities of goods, which greatly reduces the time costs.
4. The peculiarity of the rail movement reduces to zero virtually any fluctuations during the movement, which allows transportation of fragile and high-precision equipment along the railway.
5. The safety of rail transportation is also a significant factor, especially when transporting expensive equipment over long distances

However, of course, there are a number of shortcomings in rail transportation, which should also be mentioned.

• Timing. Of course, transportation by rail takes much longer than delivery by road and, especially, air transportation.
• The need for multimodal transportation. Despite the widely developed network of railways, this type of transportation practically excludes delivery in the "door-to-door" mode.

Thus, railroad transportation still has many more advantages than disadvantages. Of course, the use of this type of transportation is more suitable for large quantities of goods or for the delivery of oversized machinery. However, experienced logisticians will always be able to make an optimal delivery scheme even for small orders.