Friday Build: How long to get on a train & SF Bay Area train drop location?

[davekro]

1) I do not recall hearing if there is any (tentative) days of the week that Flat Rock aims for shipping cars. Do they ship on week ends? Ford obviously has no control over the weather or if a carrier is actually able to send trains when the plant may request them. But does Flat Rock have certain days it 'plans' to ship cars, or do they ship any time they have enough cars to fill a transport going to 'x' location.

2) Do SF Bay area cars go thru LA first?
3) What is the final train destination for SF Bay Area dealers?*
4) Do Mustangs get moved to diff. train 'cars' during their journey to the left coast? My guess is they load a full train car for a final location.

Now that my build date has slipped from Mon. to Friday, I am more curious of where in the process days get lost not moving.
5) How long did your SF BAy Area car take to get to your dealer counting from the date it left 'In Production'?

*LOL, Early in this process since I had always seen all the new cars in Benicia, right by the bridge, that that was the west coast hub for Northern Ca. cars. Well, maybe it is, for cars arriving by ship... From Japan, Korea etc.! :headbonk:

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[tunnelrat]

To my knowledge that's where all the railcars are unloaded too.

 

[davekro]

To my knowledge that's where all the railcars are unloaded too.

Any idea if the trains (all or some) go thru So. Calif. on their way to Nor. Calif.

 

[tunnelrat]

There's 2 major rail lines that run east-west. One is slightly more northern and comes in from the reno area, the other line runs south through Arizona and in to so cal. Not sure which they use though.

 

[BumpnRun]

1) I do not recall hearing if there is any (tentative) days of the week that Flat Rock aims for shipping cars. Do they ship on week ends? Ford obviously has no control over the weather or if a carrier is actually able to send trains when the plant may request them. But does Flat Rock have certain days it 'plans' to ship cars, or do they ship any time they have enough cars to fill a transport going to 'x' location.

2) Do SF Bay area cars go thru LA first?
3) What is the final train destination for SF Bay Area dealers?*
4) Do Mustangs get moved to diff. train 'cars' during their journey to the left coast? My guess is they load a full train car for a final location.

Now that my build date has slipped from Mon. to Friday, I am more curious of where in the process days get lost not moving.
5) How long did your SF BAy Area car take to get to your dealer counting from the date it left 'In Production'?

*LOL, Early in this process since I had always seen all the new cars in Benicia, right by the bridge, that that was the west coast hub for Northern Ca. cars. Well, maybe it is, for cars arriving by ship... From Japan, Korea etc.! :headbonk:

I can't answer all of your questions, but just taking delivery of my Mustang in Northern California, 83 miles west of Reno, Nv, on 2-17-15. I can tell you it was on the rails for the better part of three weeks, partially because of rail car mechanical problems and switching routes at logistic rail yards. Mine was with BNSR on a CSX autorack. It left Flat rock, headed to Chicago, then N.W. below the Canadian border all the way to Portland, OR. where it was unloaded and brought to me 7 days later. I was shocked that it was dropped in Portland because every other new Ford I have bought has come from Benicia, Ca. Portland does have a auto facility for the railroad, United Road Services brings them by truck to their final destination. My car never switched rail cars for the entire trip. Yours may go a different route to get it to Benicia. It was a lot of fun tracking it on rail, but I have one piece of information for you, BE PATIENT!! I about went crazy when I thought the train should go west and it went south, when I thought it was heading due west, it went due north, and on and on!! When you finally take delivery, your gonna LOVE it!! We sure do! Enjoy

 

[Tahoe15]

My car was built 1/20 went to "awaiting shipment" on the 21st. Stayed in awaiting shipment until 1/30, EDD of 2/8 finally went "in transit" on 2/2. Checked on 2/3 says it was delivered. Dealer said that when it went to "in transit" it was already sitting in Benicia waiting for a truck. So less than 2 weeks for me.

 

[Tamadrummer88]

I can't answer all of your questions, but just taking delivery of my Mustang in Northern California, 83 miles west of Reno, Nv, on 2-17-15. I can tell you it was on the rails for the better part of three weeks, partially because of rail car mechanical problems and switching routes at logistic rail yards. Mine was with BNSR on a CSX autorack. It left Flat rock, headed to Chicago, then N.W. below the Canadian border all the way to Portland, OR. where it was unloaded and brought to me 7 days later. I was shocked that it was dropped in Portland because every other new Ford I have bought has come from Benicia, Ca. Portland does have a auto facility for the railroad, United Road Services brings them by truck to their final destination. My car never switched rail cars for the entire trip. Yours may go a different route to get it to Benicia. It was a lot of fun tracking it on rail, but I have one piece of information for you, BE PATIENT!! I about went crazy when I thought the train should go west and it went south, when I thought it was heading due west, it went due north, and on and on!! When you finally take delivery, your gonna LOVE it!! We sure do! Enjoy

So knowing this, sounds like my car won't make it to the docks in LA for another three weeks after its shipped. damn.

 

[davekro]

My car was built 1/20 went to "awaiting shipment" on the 21st. Stayed in awaiting shipment until 1/30, EDD of 2/8 finally went "in transit" on 2/2. Checked on 2/3 says it was delivered. Dealer said that when it went to "in transit" it was already sitting in Benicia waiting for a truck. So less than 2 weeks for me.

So your train probably dumps all it's car in Reno, I'd hope. I hate think it had to go to Benicia to then be trucked back up the mountain to Tahoe. :frusty:
But that transit is awesome!

 

[davekro]

BumpnRun,
Thanks for describing your car's rail ride. Seems they can go various routes. I'll be sure to get a hold of JRHogger when I can get a rail car # to track.

Tamma, Yours might not take 3 weeks, as I believe B&R's train had mechanical issues that stopped that car for a few days, IIRC (but that may have been another poster :headbonk

 

[Tahoe15]

So your train probably dumps all it's car in Reno, I'd hope. I hate think it had to go to Benicia to then be trucked back up the mountain to Tahoe. :frusty:
But that transit is awesome!

Actually purchased the car in Folsom, so car was dropped in Benicia. I believe even cars going to Reno get dropped in Benicia.

 

[Jrhogger]

1) I do not recall hearing if there is any (tentative) days of the week that Flat Rock aims for shipping cars. Do they ship on week ends? Ford obviously has no control over the weather or if a carrier is actually able to send trains when the plant may request them. But does Flat Rock have certain days it 'plans' to ship cars, or do they ship any time they have enough cars to fill a transport going to 'x' location.

2) Do SF Bay area cars go thru LA first?
3) What is the final train destination for SF Bay Area dealers?*
4) Do Mustangs get moved to diff. train 'cars' during their journey to the left coast? My guess is they load a full train car for a final location.

Not sure the days that Flat Rocks gets serviced but I believe they get 7 day a week service. The railcars are always pulled at night by the servicing railroad, CN in this case. Most of the cars I have tracked then go to Chicago to the IHB yard called Gibson IL (so if your dearer tells you your car is at Gibson, IL its the IHB yard not the city).

Depending on which RR your car travels determine the route. BNSF and UP share the long haul for Ford. so could go either route depending on the final destination of the Railcar...not your mustang.

On the BNSF railroad the auto facility is in Richmond, every railcar going to that are off loads at that yard and then a trucking company takes the car the final miles to the dealership. It is a fairly large facility, but i don't know the radios of service.

Once the car is loaded on the rail car it stays on the rail car until it reaches the final destination of the railcar. They do not transfer it from railcar to railcar.

How this answer some questions.

 

[davekro]

JR,
Great info. Any idea if SF Bay Area (Richmond) bound rail cars most often take a direct route, or just as often travel thru a So. Calif. Rail hub/drop or even a North West hub/drop on their way to Richmond?

Interesting that the rail hub is Richmond (south side of bridge). I always see the huge area of cars just north of the bridge on the right (Benicia). I assumed that was cars coming by boat across the Pacific.

 

[Coaster]

Easiest thing to do is look up the VINs of several of the mustangs on the dealers lot and put them into COTUS so ou can get an average of how long shipping takes.

 

[JohnK]

BumpnRun- how did you track your car's transport on the train? I asked my sales rep for the train car number and she said she wasn't sure if that was available or sharable with the customer.

 

[Jrhogger]

BumpnRun- how did you track your car's transport on the train? I asked my sales rep for the train car number and she said she wasn't sure if that was available or sharable with the customer.

Who ever at the dealership actually orders the cars can get you the railcar number. And no its not "secret". My sales person was cool, because I work for RR as soon as I knew it was getting loaded I was able to get the railcar number from a contact and then track it all the way into the auto facility. I have photos of the mustang in the railcar before they took it off and I have video of the car driving off the railcar.

I was sharing this stuff with the salesperson and they really thought it was cool since i knew more than they did.

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