Chasing Norfolk Southern Roadrailer 255 on the Springfield-Hannibal District
On June 15th, a friend and I took a trip down to Hannibal, Missouri. After catching the CPKC Roodhouse local in the morning ( • Chasing the CPKC (KCS) Roodhouse Local thr... , we had lunch in Hannibal before searching for the train that we came down to see: The Roadrailer. Roadrailers are unique trains which eliminate the need for a flatcar to transport a trailer and instead mount train wheels directly to road trailers. At one point they could be found in manny different places in the US, but now, only two Roadrailers remain. NS 255 and 256 are the last two Roadrailers, carrying auto parts between Detroit and Kansas City. The trains travel over the former Wabash mainline on what is now NS's Springfield-Hannibal District. The reason I was down there is that there were rumors that these trains would be replaced in July with normal TOFC or Intermodal trains. We ended up chasing 255, the daily westbound, from Jacksonville, IL to Hannibal, Mo. Luckily, it appears that the Roadrailers will continue to run, with new trailers coming eventually. These trains truly are one of a kind. If you would like to learn more about these trains, I suggest this video by a friend of a friend. • RoadRailer