737 bodies on rail cars.

Hello!

That sure is an interesting cargo! You don't get to see anything like that in Europe (Or at least I didn't see anything like it!). Thanks for sharing and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel

You don't get to see anything like that in Europe

airbus send their planes by road across the many countries

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGVe0xOMywE

And others build giant cargo planes to carry major assemblies!

And I wonder, worldwide, how many aircraft fuselages have ended up as diners.

Hello!

That's what I meant - by road, yes, by plane - yes, but not by rail. I believe in Europe the loading gauge wouldn't allow that.

Don - it would be interesting to see such a statistics.

Have a nice day

Paweł

It's my understanding that European rail guages are all pretty similar; just different by a significant couple of centimeters.

Now, what I know about European rail would fit in one hand with room to spare for a biscuit or two.

But, as a guess, I'd wager it's the height clearances.  Even in the US, there are distinctions between height clearances for east of the Mississippi and west thereof (greater clearance to west).

There can be issue with track radii, too--which becomes an issue for over-length items.

But, as a further guess, I'll wager it's easier to clear roads in the middle of the night than rail traffic.

All of which is a flat-out guess, and worth about 2¢ (€0.0172)

Hello Capn!

You like going into detail, don't you? It'd be my pleasure to provide you some!

Here's the loading gauge for the european railroad (G1 is international, G2 is Germany):

We're talking so called normal track gauge which is for most of Europe 1435mm - the Russians have wider gauge to prevent the invaders from using their network.

As you see the widest space on a rail car would be 3150mm. At the same time I read that the widest space in the cabin of a 737 is 3530mm. That would mean the fuselage is a tad wider, ergo it wouldn't fit by at least 400mm. If they absolutely can't fly it, they will put it on a barge, or take it on the Autobahn.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

Paweł

If they can't fly it on existing large transport aircraft, they need to build a bigger one yet.  Call it the Ultra-Guppy.

Wonder how the Dreamlifter is working out.  Is it still flying aircraft parts around?

Dreamlifters are in and out of Charleston daily. Since they started production on the 787-10 Boeing has really gotten busy. Lots of colorful tails on their finishing line outside.

Don Stauffer

If they can't fly it on existing large transport aircraft, they need to build a bigger one yet.  Call it the Ultra-Guppy.

Wonder how the Dreamlifter is working out.  Is it still flying aircraft parts around?

 

Those beasties are made by Spirit Aerosystems in Witchita, Kansas, and are railed to Renton in WA, where they're turned into 737's and the P-8 Poseidon.

Imagine....a light gray 737 with hardpoints for Harpoons and a bomb bay!!!!!

Awesome.

And then, there was the time a few years ago when a train derailment resulted in three 7437 fuselages in the river in Montana.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/07/05/train-derailment-spills-boeing-737-fueslages-into-river/12258639/

Hello!

Well, that photo should also land in the "Dioramas I'd like to build" thread:

Have a nice day!

Paweł

If you are thinking of modeling the Boeing 737 on railroad flat car, it is already being done in HO (1/87) scale.  Follow link:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/FLJKL39CS/1-87-boeing-fuselage-icebreaker-cradles-for-flat

I work for a company that makes very big, commercial aircraft engines.  Our largest engines require two trucks.  The fan assembly goes on one, and the propulsor assembly goes on another.  There have been mishaps which have put engines in muddy corn fields. 

This is in Australia, but it happens in the US on occasion. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-06/aircraft-engine-falls-off-truck-in-sydney-oversize-load/7819876

leemitcheltree

and a bomb bay

I imagine said bay is forward of the wing spar, since the center fuel tank and landing gear occupy most of that space. 

Trivia:  737 main landing gear tires are exposed when retracted.  There's a flexible seal that inflates around the tire's circumference to close up the bay.

Given the vast dimension of the 737-800 rear cargo area, it would seem like an internal bay for Harpoon and/or torpedoes would be simpler than wing hard points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkyIwyyAywo&t=125s

My wife watches these beasties being craned off the flatcars every morning from her office windows in Renton.
And imagine.....more than 45 of these things roll off the assembly line....EVERY MONTH.

Amazing.