May 22, 2022 in Port Jervis, NY. Rudy Garbely photo

Donated by Triple Crown in 2011

Quick Facts:

March 15, 2019 in Weatherly, PA. Rudy Garbely photo

Model: 53’ trailer
Built: 1994
Builder: Wabash National
Past Owners: Triple Crown (Conrail and Norfolk Southern)
Current Owner: The Conrail Historical Society, Inc.
Current Location: Erie Turntable, Port Jervis, NY

TCSZ #463491 is a Mark V RoadRailer, built in 1994 by Wabash National, a large manufacturer of truck trailers. This trailer was used by Triple Crown (a subsidiary of Conrail and Norfolk Southern) from the 1980s to 2015 as an alternative to conventional trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) intermodal transportation. RoadRailer trailers were built stronger than normal trailers, and were suspended between two "bogey" trucks rather than sitting directly on a railcar. Therefore, the trailers themselves actually formed the body of the train. By using its own rail-friendly trailers, Triple Crown was able to deliver directly from warehouse to warehouse without having to involve a third-party truck carrier.

Triple Crown donated the TCSZ No. 463491 to The Conrail Historical Society in 2011, removing it directly from active service. There was a single rail bogey included with the donation, which is currently stored within the trailer. Changing times and aging equipment forced the remaining RoadRailers into retirement in 2015, making The Conrail Historical Society the only organization to preserve one of these unique trailers.

In May of 2017, TCSZ #463491 was moved to a temporary storage location in Weatherly, PA. It was moved again on April 30, 2022 to join the collection of displayed railroad equipment at the Erie Turntable in Port Jervis, NY. This historic trailer will be used for storage of tools and parts to support the restorations of other on-site equipment.