#E-freight

[20th-century-railroading]

Specialized hauling

A very special high and wide movement pauses in Griffith, Indiana. Couldn't have been that hot though, the crew was uptown at beans when I shot this.

Griffith, Indiana. January 1975.

[narutoeuzumaki]

[fastleopard1521]

the post before this got me thinking about why me and my dad fight and I always get so mad when I think about it

this is usually what happens when it’s a short fight (he talks to me again in the next 1-3 days): he does something that he knows gets me mad and keeps doing it until I finally say something then yells at me for being rude or some bs

there’s a little bit of an in between, I do something that makes him mad, usually it’s stupid or he’s tired: he gets mad, yells at me, I go to my room and walk on eggshells for the next few hours/days, depending on what happened and what his mood is

Then there’s ones like that time I got grounded (we don’t talk for a week or more): he yells, lectures me on how disappointed he is and how stupid I am or something like that and I shut down for the next while

the last one is probably the worst because I thought it would be better to have him be disappointed in me instead of mad at me because I thought a lecture/talk would be better than him yelling at me

I was so wrong

[catenary-chad]

I can be laughably inconsistant in how I portray Electra’s build besides “somewhat to very short and denser than you’d expect”. On one hand, it makes sense for an electric train to be very lean because they notably don’t “store” anything fuel-wise irl (unless they have a battery or are a dual-mode electo-diesel). On the other hand, it’s a running joke that Americanized versions of European engines have to be waaaay heavier than the originals for crashworthiness reasons (other countries just have better signaling/fewer road crossings to begin with) so modern-day Electra being heftier checks out. Also not immune to making stupid jokes about how electric locos often have issues with being too light irl and making them heavier can be a GREAT thing for freight service since it reduces wheelslip and lets them pull more.

[3pshipping4]

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[artisticdivasworld]

Navigating Challenges and Seizing Opportunities in 2025

The trucking industry is navigating some rough terrain right now. Flat freight movement demand, dropping rates, and low load-to-truck ratios have made things challenging for carriers, brokers, and owner-operators alike. It’s a tough environment to work in, no doubt about it, but challenges like these also bring opportunities for those who can adapt and pivot. Let’s take a closer look at what’s…

[coastlineresources]

With the continuous rise of e-commerce, logistics companies must adapt to meet expanding customer demands for faster and more reliable deliveries. This shift has significantly influenced the demand for skilled logistics staff who can effectively manage and optimize logistics services. Here’s a look at how e-commerce growth is reshaping logistics staffing in Houston, Texas, and what companies need to know to stay competitive.

[britishchick09]

senpai and lil' gideon- i mean his attorney, m. e. newell in 1939! ;D

he sort of looks like gideon, right? ;)

[20th-century-railroading]

EJ&E Baldwin DRS-6-6-1500 501

EJ&E DRS-6-6-1500 501 at Joliet, Illinois on February 13, 1965, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. Built in January 1949 as Bessemer & Lake Erie 402 (c/n 73989), one of seven built for the B&LE, this unit (and one other) was purchased in March 1956 by EJ&E. It first worked wearing B&LE paint scheme with EJ&E under the window, it was later painted with orange over black. It was retired in June 1973 and sold to Striegel Equipment Corporation.

[just2bruce]

US Customs checks every e-commerce parcel

Air freight from the Far East to the US is slowing up because US Customs is detaining cargo to check every e-commerce parcel. That’s because a lot of drugs and fentanyl-manufacturing equipment has been discovered in shipments of smaller e-commerce packages, mostly from China. The de minimis rule, which says that packages of value less than $800 and smaller size are subject to different import…

[american-railroading]

Engine Showcase: Elgin Joliet & Eastern #765, Pt. 1

Ah yes, for once an actual post and not just reblogging pictures of engines from various places. Today, I wanna talk about an engine I feel very strongly about for several reasons.

We’re going to be discussing EJ&E (Elgin Joliet & Eastern) steam engine #765. Yes I’m absolutely sure this isn’t about the Nickel Plate Berkshire, as EJ&E’s 765 is a Mikado and obviously from a very different road.

Warning: This is a lengthy rambling read about a very specific steam locomotive.

In short, the engine was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1929. Obviously it’s a 2-8-2 Mikado. It’s an AB Class engine made to haul freight all around the road. When the EJ&E dieselized in the late 1940’s, the engine was sold to the DM&IR (Duluth Missabe & Iron Range), being renumbered to 1330 in 1948. When the DM&IR diseslized in 1962, 1330 was renumbered and repainted back to her original EJ&E colors and number. She was like new and was sent to Gary, Indiana to be donated and put on display in the small Gateway Park right next to and beneath the SSL (South Shore Line). Thus ending her service she’s been on static display ever since, as the only surviving EJ&E steamer.

EJ&E #765 in revenue service for the EJ&E:

DM&IR #1330 in revenue service for the DM&IR:

Now I’m sure you’re thinking, what’s the problem? The engine is preserved in a park, she’s still there to this day and anyone can visit her anytime. Here’s the thing. She’s been on display in Gary since 1962, so she’s been there a good while, as of posting this, she’s been there roughly 62 years. Which I would have no problem with, I’m glad she’s around. She’s from a small forgotten road after all, one really only locals seem to know about, and everyone else at the very most seems to have only heard it mentioned in passing but don’t know much about.

When first donated to Gary, as stated before, 765 was in pristine condition, freshly repainted and operable. In fact I found a source (although unsure how reliable since it’s someone just claiming things), that she was pretty well rolled up to where she sits now beneath the SSL. Well, according an article (I’ll link it at the bottom) and a railfan discussing it, after being donated the engine was taken care of for a time. But as all things go she was slowly forgotten and fell into disrepair. Up until recently when a small group of people who volunteer with grants of money try to spruce up old towns, historic sites, and abandoned places to make older run down places and things more appealing and try to upkeep anything of value. They’re apparently the Decay Devils preservation society, and in 2023 they not only did their best with poor old 765, but the Gary Union Station just a short walk away that’s long been abandoned. Which the station is a talk for some other time (as apparently the 20th Century Limited stopped there at one time).

But apart from the preservation group, 765 hasn’t seen any real work done on her since 1992. That’s 31 about years. She’s since been rusting and rotting, since she’s simply out in the open in the park with no awning or shed to shield her from the elements. Mind you this is in the Midwest so we get a lot of snow and rain to get in all the cracks and crevices to rust her out.

From various sources, I can see and read people discussing how badly she’s fallen apart and been scavenged for scrap and souvenirs. Her cowcatcher is in rough shape and the little wooden footplates that were once beside it for the switchman to ride while guiding her through the yard have rotten and been taken off. For a time her headlight and number boards on the front were in tact and looking nice, but soon enough, after about 2014, her headlight, which had already had the glass removed disappeared entirely, and the empty number boards also vanished. Her bell, whistle, and builders plates are all long gone. I hope and pray these all exist somewhere and aren’t just melted down. Her sanding tubes are all rusted through, bent, and disconnected. I saw that myself when I visited. There used to be stairs up into her cab, but those rotted and were removed. Her cab was once labeled, each lever and valve named, but that all disappeared, as with the valves and levers. She’s been scavenged inside and out. All sorts of little bits and bobs are badly damaged and missing, and a lot of her steel is thinning. That’s not even all of it! Other stuff is missing and gone, like her piston covers! There’s a lot I didn’t catch or don’t know about! When she was finally repainted back in 2023 it was clearly done by hand, obviously a labor of love, but not quite the right scheme. That I’m not too upset about though. But for example, you saw how nice she was during her working days?

This was her, around 2014:

And… this is what she looked like when I saw her earlier this year in about February:

Just look at her! The poor girl deserves so much better! Considering all sorts of people say that Gary is a dying town with a high crime rate, of the few who do know about her not many want to visit. We went not knowing it was a dangerous part of town, but it was a bit chilly so no one was really out anyway. We might’ve been some of the lucky ones!

And I think one of the worst parts is that the city of Gary does not want to give her up. They claim she’s a big part of their heritage despite the fact they can’t take care of her since they don’t have much money, and no one really knows or cares that she’s there. Apparently, back in the early 1980’s the IRM (Illinois Railway Museum) tried to buy her! But the Common Council decided she was too important to the town’s history to sell! Maybe back then, but now all types of people describe her as ‘derelict’ ‘forgotten’ and ‘invisible’! That’s horrible! Sure just as she is in Gateway Park, she might not run if she went to the IRM, but that doesn’t matter! They’d be able to restore her like new someday and keep her from rotting to the point of no return! (If you can’t tell I love the IRM, and I get a lot of insider info there as one of my uncles volunteers there.) I almost cried when I saw her. I looked up pictures online before visiting and I expected her to look nicer, especially after reading the trains article on how she was being fixed up. I’ve felt very bad for her, and wanted to do something since but I’m afraid there’s nothing. I wanted to try and bring awareness to her, since obviously even with her recent touch up (yeah I hate to say it, despite the working having been done being well done, it wasn’t much, certainly not a restoration) no one knows about her and her terrible situation.

I hope you guys end up loving her as much as I do. Maybe someday she’ll be leading a better life in a museum or at least somewhere they can take care of her better. It’s really important to me that she stays around. She’s the only steam engine left from her entire road, so it’s not like we can afford to lose her. Not to mention, I’ve lived near EJ&E tracks all my life, I’ve seen all kinds of rolling stock and cabooses preserved, so it’s a very familiar thing to me. And for the people and railfans who don’t know, it’s nice to learn about something new and niche. So there you have it, links will be below to sources I used while writing this. I hope you feel like she deserves a second chance like I do. Not sure if this ‘Engine Showcase’ will be a series or a one off thing. But if you like it let me know!

Sources:

Trains article: https://cs.trains.com/ctr/b/mileposts/archive/2020/10/16/ej-amp-e-765-another-forgotten-park-engine.aspx

Discussing the engine: http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47198

Second Article: https://www.nwitimes.com/localbusinesses/gary-steam-locomotive-downtown-refurbished/article_a8e456ea-120c-11ee-9f72-ab64a16c5273.html

First hand visit to 765 with pictures: http://zettsoscaletrainlayout.blogspot.com/2013/03/ej-765-last-of-its-kind.html

Extra condensed information: https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/Elgin,_Joliet_%26_Eastern_Railway_No._765

(All photographs were taken from Google, I do not own or claim to own any of them)

[3pshipping4]

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[artisticdivasworld]

The Bumpy Economic Roads: Over Or Not?

The freight transportation industry is hitting some rough patches these days. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. During the pandemic, consumer spending went through the roof, and freight companies were riding high. But now, it’s like we’ve hit a major speed bump. One big issue is that there’s just too much shipping capacity. Retailers and manufacturers went on a stocking spree during the…

[sherunsittt]

E-commerce Logistics:

Online shopping is huge, but it comes with its own challenges.

Getting deliveries to people's doors quickly and dealing with returns can be tricky but important.

[pace-express]

E commerce logistics Service Mumbai - Rail and Road Logistics

Discover seamless and reliable e commerce logistics service Mumbai with Rail and Road Logistics. As a trusted partner for businesses of all sizes, we specialize in optimizing your supply chain for e-commerce success. Our strategic integration of both rail and road transportation ensures swift and cost-effective delivery of your goods.

[tfiworld]

Advantages of E-commerce Logistics - Total Freight International

The rise of e-commerce has altered the retail industry, and thus logistics, in recent years. The process of managing the flow of products from the seller to the customer via an online platform is referred to as e-commerce logistics. This process is critical to the success of any e-commerce organization since it has a direct impact on consumer happiness and the bottom line. And for E-commerce logistics service or E-commerce logistics service in Dubai, the ideal choice would be Total Freight International.

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In conclusion, e-commerce logistics offers many benefits to companies wishing to increase their online sales. E-commerce logistics are crucial to the success of any e-commerce organization because they allow for higher efficiency, better customer service, cost savings, flexibility, and data analysis. To know more, check out http://www.tfiworld.com/.