At first glance, the trailer in the above picture looks the same as any one of the variations that we know, e.g., from the slow lane on the motorways. Indeed, this one has a few special features, it has been designed for long distance haulage by rail. The haulage company maintains, that this way, 53 gramms of CO₂ per km/ton are saved. At first that doesn't sound like very much, however, if a mass of up to 25 tons fits into the trailer, the amount would be 1325 g/km.

Now, imagine the distribution of these 25 tons in the parked trailer, at the rear it is distributed between the three axles and up front it rests on two props, not, as is normal, on the semi-coupling. When stationary, this is not a problem, however, for the rough transporting by rail it is. While the semi-coupling of the towing machine does not deviate from the standard 2 inches, the girders of the trailer have been strengthened.

The main intended use of these trailers is also called 'combined traffic', by this one means that the trailer does more travelling by rail than on the motorway. One advantage is, that the towing truck does not travel with it, thus doubling the tare of the trailer. Also, a second driver isn't needed for long distance trips. In addition, the normal motorist is glad that this particular transport is not blocking the slow-lane.

One advantaged was granted to the hauliers, a gross weight rating of 44 tons is permitted, because of the reinforced chassis that's only just under 4 tons more than is normal. It's doubtful whether this is an advantage for this particular trailer because it is designed for the transport of big rolls of paper. It's interesting, that the basis of this transport-order, is apparently the service life of such a semi-trailer (and that of a further 49!)

At least two important requirements for the safe transport of paper must be met, an improved protection against dampness and additional lashing rings, which in case of an emergency, will also hold the heavy reels on their sides. At least for loading and unloading the tarpaulins made of Aramid-fabric, must be able to be folded almost completely together through the two upper rails on the left and on the right.

Something that the layman cannot imagine, are the enormous forces applied to the trailer's bulkhead, which occur when hard braking or even a collision takes place. The results would be unthinkable, the cargo would smash through the bulkhead. In our example, at least the bulkhead is reinforced with long, two millimeter thick galvanised steel plating.

Another interesting point, is that the manufacturer, Kögel, points out that the chassis has a special nano-ceramic coating. Do the railways really place higher demands on the corrosion protection than those found in normal road traffic? Oh yes, we nearly forgot to mention the safety measures, not so much those of the flatbed rail-cars but particularly those required in the case of cargo shipping. 10/12