b'8American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(CHALLENGEScontinued from page 6)time, Fracht made a multi-million-dollar investment to build two additional rail cars for the projectsaving $600,000 per trip and cutting delivery time in half.This was the first time Fracht invested in this type of asset, Liewald says. Ten years later the company operates a fleet of more than 50 specialized rail cars, with different designs, axle counts and sizes.Therailcarrequirementsaredesignedin-house by Fracht engineers. Features include 8 to 18 axles to distributeheavyloads;longerdeckstoaccommodate largeitems;depressedcenterplatformsfortallcargo; and the ability to shift the car or the load horizontally orverticallytoavoidobstructions.Inaddition,the new generation of Fracht rail cars are built with com-pressed T1 steel to minimize the weight of the transport. Toaccompanyingprojectcargoloadsonthejourney, Frachtdeployssixspeciallyoutfittedcabooses,refur-bished to provide living spaces for rail car operatorsincluding bunk beds and kitchens.Putting these rail car designs into action, a recent Fracht project completed in summer 2024 involved deliv-ery of a reactor vessel to a fertilizer plant in Louisiana.In 2020, Fracht delivered two 300-ton transformers to a substation in ManitobaOne large unit spanned two consecutive rail cars, utiliz-ing customized saddles, clamps and turntables so the trainanchorage outside the Port of Vancouverwhich wasprotectedthesoilunderneathwithenvironmentally could navigate curves while still securing the cargo. shut down at the timeFracht transported one shipmentfriendly Geo-matting, and later removed the limestone on supply barges to a nearby private pier. and restored the river to its original condition.t heg reatf looD The units were delivered safely, and together with Demonstrating just how difficult project cargo cana b rIDge tos uccess our customer we proved that if we cant find a road to be, one very challenging Fracht project comprised ship- One of Frachts most compelling project cargo casesuccess, we are going to build one, Liewald says.ping a complete power plant from China to Albertawithstudies exemplifies the companys ingenuity in the face 55 heavy lifts and 120,000 FRT of other cargoin theofinfrastructurechallenges.In2020,Frachtdeliveredc ontInueDg rowthmiddle of a global pandemic and shipping crisis.two 300-ton transformers to a substation in Manitoba,Frachtexpectscontinuedgrowthofitsproject From 2021 to 2023 Fracht outmaneuvered multipleCanada, that originally required crossing a single long- cargobusinessoverthenextfewyears,drivenby obstacles including port congestion, lack of vessel space,span bridgethe only road into the site. After in-depthincreasing energy demand and the need for investment and sky rocketing shipping costs. Making matters evenanalysis, Fracht determined that the bridge could not sup- in the electrical infrastructure, which in turns requires worse, British Columbiaone of the main corridors forport the weight, and rebuilding the structure would havemore inventive solutions as project cargo expands in inbound cargo movement to Albertawas inundated bytaken years and cost millions of dollars.weight and size.massive flooding and landslides that washed out high- FrachtssolutionwastocompletelybypasstheWe are continuing to serve our clients by research-ways and disrupted major rail lines. bridge, designing and constructing a temporary crossinging new and innovative designs in the rail and heavy Thinking outside the box, Fracht chartered dedicatedvia a frozen river. Filling the riverbed with 380 truckloadstransport sector to meet the growing demand and chal-ships and moved the project cargo and hundreds of stan- of locally sourced limestone, covered with wooden matslenges of moving their heavy cargoes, Liewald reveals, dard shipping containers through small ports on the Westfor extra support, Fracht built an alternative roadway toadding that some interesting new Fracht designs are in the coast, Gulf and Great Lakes. In addition, with a ship atdeliver the transformers to the final destination. Frachtworks, with announcements expected in 2025.'