Trailer Train Flatcar #470534 and Sea-Land Containers
Manufacturer: Bethlehem Steel Corporation, 1955
Length: 75 feet
Load limit: 121,000 pounds
This flatcar is the forerunner of today's piggyback and container cars. The trailer/container flatcar was developed to help roads regain business lost to highway transportation. A train can haul trailers for long distances at a much lower cost than can a tractor-trailer.
Two hundred of these flatcars were produced by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation for the Trailer Train Company, now known as TTX Company.
This flatcar was designed to carry two intermodal containers. Intermodal cargo is shipped to its destination by a combination of more than one mode of transportation, such as trucks and trains.
These two Sea-Land containers are mounted on 35 foot trailers. They are held in place with a "fifth wheel" assembly harness.
The "container" concept was invented by Sea-Land founder Malcolm McLean of Winston Salem, North Carolina. Sea-Land is a global container transportation company. This container concept is now used worldwide to efficiently move freight. These containers have holes on the corners that receive locking pins to hold them together when they are stacked on top of one another and also allow cranes to pick up the containers and place them on ships, rail
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Erected by Virginia Museum of Transportation, Inc.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.
Location. 37° 16.402′ N, 79° 56.799′ W. Marker is in Roanoke, Virginia. It is in Downtown. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Norfolk Avenue Southwest and 3rd Street Southwest, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 303 Norfolk Ave SW, Roanoke VA 24016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Norfolk Southern Research Car #31 (here, next to this marker); Norfolk & Western ALCO C630 Diesel-Electric #1135 (here, next to this marker); Depressed Center Flatcar APWX #1002 (a few steps from this marker); Amoco Oil ARA III Tank Car AMOX #9465 (a few steps from this marker); Norfolk & Western EMD SD45 #1776 (a few steps from this marker); Virginia Central Porter Rod Driven Locomotive #3 (a few steps from this marker); Whitcomb 30DM31 Diesel Switcher (a few steps from this marker); Chesapeake Western DS-4-4-660 #662 (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Roanoke.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 182 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 30, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
