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I have always wanted to know what the difference is between "TV" and "MAIL" train symbols. Both trains carried piggyback traffic; the only difference I can think of is "TV" trains carried doublestack containers and I don't recall seeing any doublestacks on "MAIL" trains (I could be wrong). Also which has priority over the other???
Aaron Member # 2087
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The main difference was exactly the way the symbol describes. Out of Chicago a TV train such as TV2M may carry as many as 6 different blocks with some being tofc and some cofc/doublestack. A Mail train such as Mail9 into chicago would carry mostly UPS and similar HOT cars. I can't say a mail train would never have any containers that would be set on a car such as a ttax but don't ever remember seeing a double stack. The mail train would also have priority over the TV but most of the time this was not an issue due to the timing of the trains they were spread out enough.
Roger Hensley Member # 1374
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And as I recall, TV originally meant Trail Van. Yes, Mail is higher in priority than a TV train, but both ruled the rails when it came to freight.
Roger
conrailkid Member # 1898
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it was all about train priority, this went back to the prr days. mail trains had supreme priority over everything, then came tv1-20, tvla, then any other tv train. conrail placed these trains on the main t run, and run they did. i was on tv55 out of harrisburg, they ran us around the amtrak pennsylvanian! rule was, nothing stood in the way of these trains or heads would roll!
CP-home Member # 1924
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I knew TV meant Trailvan, I just didn't know what the difference was since they both carried piggyback trailers, but again I never saw doublestacks on MAIL trains. I thought TVs had more priority because TVLA, (aka SVLA, which I thought was the highest priority Conrail train) always took the Water Level route from NY and all the MAIL trains (I think), took the Pennsy route. I thought Water Level was the more preferred route of the two.
conrailkid Member # 1898
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i think it really depended on the destination. water level route had more freight congestion out of the great lakes area, while the pennsy route primarily had the mountains of pa. to worry about. west of pittsburgh, they ran the wheels off of them. also, because double stacks sit higher, they are height restricted on certain lines. depending on where the trains are coming or going to, stacks may not fit under certain tunnels and bridges. it's easier to add a couple more conventional flats on the train and run it single level in that case.
Harold A Zeitler Member # 1140
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Of course as you know the mail trains had priority over TV's. The mail trains had to be at their final point by a specified time or the railroad lost the connection and\or money.Until Conrail finished a massive project to raise bridges and tunnels on the former Prr stacks were prohibited.
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