September 20, 2002 -
Sullivan Indiana.
Photo courtesy of
Larry E. Gilbert.
Wig-Wag, LLC
N-Scale for the Discriminating Modeler!

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PC-90 Piggy-Packer

All releases are included below. 
If you are looking for something specific, not shown below, please use the
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here,
or the Google search at the bottom of all pages on our site:


If you are unable to find an item on our site after using the Google search,
e-mail us
and let us know what item you could not locate.
Second Release:
Announced 06/01/2012
Orders Due: 08/04/2012
Expected: Late Fall 2012
First Release:
Announced 08/16/2011
Orders Due: 09/27/2011
Expected: Dec. 2011
Item Description
Not all items can be in stock at all times.
Due to minimum order requirements and shipping charges we "bunch" up re-orders to save you money.

(We reserve the right to correct errors and change prices without prior notice.)
MSRP
Our
Price
E-mail or
Pre-Order link
Note: Not all of the items below may be in stock or available but the information is provided for reference purposes.
Please copy & paste the entire description TEXT (no pictures please)from the item you are ordering into your e-mail.
It will save time and reduce possible confusion in determining what you
really are ordering.
With the quantity of lines we carry it's not possible to memorize all of them.

Be sure you review our terms pages before placing your order:
First: Terms Page One   Then: Terms Page Two  Finally: Terms Page Three

If you place an order, you have agreed to our terms.

Please remember to give your first and last name and the city and state where you live in all
your e-mails.

Non-USA customers please include the country.

A Brief History


Click picture to see large view

Early Years
By the early 1960s, railroads in North America were routinely transporting truck trailers on specialized railroad cars called “piggyback” flat cars (known as Trailer On Flat Car, or TOFC). The loading and unloading of truck trailers from these flat cars was accomplished by way of a ramp at one end of the train, with a truck-tractor used to pull the trailer on and off the train. This was commonly referred to as “circus loading”, and was a time consuming process: by this method, trailers on piggyback flat cars could only be loaded or unloaded sequentially. Furthermore circus loading required a very skilled driver, one able to navigate the narrow confines of a flatcar, especially when backing up to pick up a trailer. In 1964, the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) began searching for ways to speed up operations at its LA piggyback facility know as LATC or “Shops”. Inspiration came in the form of a log-loading machine in Oregon called the “Lumberjack”, a large tractor with oversize tires built by FWD Wagner Corp., and modified by Nelson Equipment Co., the sales agent for Wagner in Portland, OR. SP worked with Nelson to further modify the loader to handle trailers. After testing various configurations at LATC and Brooklyn Yard in Portland, the prototype machine, called the “Model 60”, entered service at LATC. The lifting device had a pair of short forks and a pivoting arm that engaged the trailer floor from the opposite side. The production model was called the P-70, came with a 70,000 lb lift capacity, and featured an extended-width grapple frame. The first P-70 was sold to Milwaukee Road for its Bensenville, IL (Franklin Park) facility in October, 1966. Shortly after came the largest-ever single order for the Piggy-Packer: 14 P-70’s for the NYC. The Central had realized that the Flexivan was a dead-end technology, and that improved clearances east of Albany were facilitating the conversion to TOFC. The Central decided that the Piggy-Packer was superior to the crane lift because the terminals required little or no modifications. However, the P-70 had it’s drawbacks. It tended to tilt the trailer as it was being lifted causing loads to shift on the inside. Further, it required a 10-ft clearance on the far side of the trailer due to the pivoting grapple frame.


Click picture to see large view

Refinement of the Piggy-Packer
Erie Lackawanna PC-90 Piggy-Packer loading trailers in Chicago. (Paul Brezicki photo collection)In 1968, the FWD Wagner Corp. developed the P-80 and the PC-90. The boom on the PC-90 (and P-80) was redesigned to eliminate the tilting of the trailers during lifting by including a pair of horizontal stabilizing bars that served as a parallelogram.  Folding grapple arms replaced the clamshell lift mechanism, eliminating the 10-feet clearance required with the '70. Further, by 1968, ISO standards had been established for the emerging maritime container business, replacing the proprietary lift mechanisms for SeaLand, Matson and others. Nelson saw the growth potential in adapting the Piggy-Packer for container handling, and chose the lift mechanism that had been developed by Ropco Corp. The first dual-purpose machine equipped with a container spreader entered service in UP’s Seattle facility in 1968.  Furthermore, lift capacity was beefed up to 90,000 lb (45 tons). The PC-90 quickly became the de facto standard for mechanization of TOFC operations.


Click picture to see large view

Raygo Wagner Years
Conrail PC-90 Piggy-Packer loading a JB Hunt trailer at Harrisburg-TV yard. (Paul Brezicki photo)With the commercial success of the Piggy-Packer well-established, FWD Wagner was reluctant to assume all manufacturing and development. By the end of 1968, FWD Wagner sold all aspects of the Piggy-Packer to the Raygo Corp., a heavy equipment manufacturer. Raygo went on to develop the Piggy-Packer as a part of the Raygo Wagner intermodal product line. They were fabricated in Portland with parts made by Clark. By the late 1970’s, Piggy-Packers were being built under contract, by Portland-based Allied Systems Inc. The line eventually included the following models:

 


Click picture to see large view
Piggy-Packers: PC-90 with a 90,000 lb lift capacity; PC-80 with a 80,000 lb lift capacity. The PC-80 had a shorter wheelbase than PC-90.
Port Packers: MH-80 with 80,000 lb lift capacity; CH(E)-70 with 70,000 lb lift capacity; CH-50 with 50,000 lb lift capacity. The Port Packers were similar to the PC-90, but had a shorter wheelbase, slightly higher operator's cab, and a detachable spreader for lifting containers.
Stac-Pac: Stac-Pac were developed and used by the Southern Pacific in lifting containerized automobiles on to railroad flat cars. Auto containers were open at the ends and held GM autos three high. They had a revolving mechanism that rotated horizontally to facilitate the loading of autos into the container and then rotated the container 90 degrees to be placed on a railroad flat car. It seems that the SP tried using PC-90s for lifting these short open-ended auto containers but the operation required more maneuverability than the '90 had.

The Competition
In the North American market, the PC-90 had competition in the Marathon LeTourneau "LeTro-Porters", which were powered by a diesel-electric drive system much like a locomotive, and had a winch-lift system. A number of railroads used the LeTro-Porters, including the Santa Fe Railway, to supplement their overhead-lift cranes.

The Final Years
CSX "Seaboard System" PC-90 Piggy-Packer in Taaft, Florida (Paul Brezicki photo) In 1985, the Mi-Jack Corporation, manufacturer of overhead-lift TOFC/COFC equipment (Translift  and Travelift), added sideloaders to its product line by acquiring the the Raygo-Wagner line of Piggy-Packers and Port Packers. Mi-Jack continued the arrangement with Allied (which, in 2011, still produces several versions of the machine that started it all … the Lumberjack, with various lift capacities). The PC-90 lives on as the MJ-9090, Mi-Jack’s current boom-style sideloader.

The Machine
The PC-90 is a big machine. The front tires alone stand seven feet tall. The operator sits over 13 feet off the ground with an excellent view of the loading and unloading operation. Hydraulically operated boom and lift mechanisms make this machine very durable and robust. The Piggy-Packer typically loads an average of 12 trailers or containers per hour on to piggyback flat cars. They come equipped with a spreader and bottom pick that handle both trailers and containers. In top-pick mode, they're able to stack containers three-high. The PC-90s could optionally be equipped with a spreader for lifting containers only. The PC-90 is powered by a Cummins NH-855C-250 6-cylinder diesel engine located under the operator’s cab. The Cummins engines have a four-speed transmission designed for maximum torque. They have a maximum rating of 250 HP at 2100 RPM. The PC-90 weighs over 80 tons and has a maximum speed of 27 mph ... not exactly swift.

The PC-90 Piggy-Packers Railroad List
The following railroads deployed the PC-90 with many roads using them at multiple locations. This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives an idea of the popularity of the model.


Click picture to see large view
  • Boston & Maine
  • BNSF / Burlington Northern (BN) / Great Northern (see image: loading up in Portland)
  • Chicago & North Western
  • CSX / Seaboard System Railroad (SCL/L&N) (see image, in Charlotte, NC)
  • Central of New Jersey 
  • Canadian Pacific
  • Delaware & Hudson (ex. LV)
  • Denver Rio Grande & Western
  • Erie Lackawanna (see image, loading trailers in Chicago)
  • Florida East Coast
  • Milwaukee Road
  • New York Central / Penn Central / Conrail
  • Norfolk & Western / NS
  • Pennsylvania Truck Lines (Penn terminal contractor for PRR beginning in 1960, PC and later CR)
  • Rock Island
  • RF&P
  • Soo Line
  • Southern Pacific (see image, loading a Seatrain container)
  • SSW (Cotton Belt)
  • Union Pacific.
  • Wisconsin Central Ltd.

Click picture to see large view
The Western Pacific and Norfolk & Western used the PC-80. Missouri Pacific had CH-70 at their new container facility in New Orleans. In addition to the PC-90, Soo Line had a CH-50 at Chicago while C&NW had an early version of the refined Piggy-Packer design, the P-80.
Features & Options
  • boom can be raised and lowered (and holds position)
  • bottom pick is adjustable and can hold a trailer
  • Front bottom pick rotates upward like the real thing (see image below)
  • optional container-only spreader
  • catwalk on front right side (for Raygo Wagner models)
  • rubber tires
  • decorated according to the prototype railroads.

Click picture to see large view

(Some Piggy-Packers had ‘Strongman’ logo on the flank, and some had railroad logos, while others had both.)

Pre-Production
Pictures

Click picture to see large view
Item Description
MSRP
Our
Pricing

E-mail or
Pre-Order link

Second Release

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

$15.89

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

Part #: WOT-70003 Burlington Northern & Santa Fe "BNSF Cross" Logo - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift - Rerun

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

$59.99

Click
Here For
Pricing


Click to place a
Secure Order On-Line

First Release

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70001 No RR Logo "Strongman & FWD Wagner" (Yellow Paint) - Typical RR Leased Equipment - Early PC-90 Model
Click picture to see large view

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$15.89

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70003 Burlington Northern & Santa Fe "BNSF Cross" Logo - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift
Click picture to see large view

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70005 Burlington Northern "BN PC-411" (No Logo) - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift
Click picture to see large view

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70007 CSX/Seaboard System "Seaboard System RR" Logo - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70009 Canadian Pacific "CP RY" - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift
Click picture to see large view

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70011 Missouri Pacific "MP Buzz Saw" Logo - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift
Click picture to see large view

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70013 Norfolk & Western "Norfolk & Western" - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Early Model w/ Bottom Lift
Click picture to see large view

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70015 Rock Island "RI" Shield - PC-90 Piggy Packer - Early Model w/ Bottom Lift, No Ladder On Lift


Click picture to see large view
BUT Not Here>

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70017 St. Louis Southwestern (SSW) "Cotton Belt" - PC-90 Piggy Packer Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift

Click picture to see large view
Or Here>

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Part #: WOT-70019 Union Pacific "UP Large Shield" No Strongman Logo - PC-90 Piggy Packer Mid-Late Model w/ Bottom Lift

Click picture to see large view
<-Not Here But Here>>

$59.99

Sold
Out


None available
SOLD OUT

Item Description
MSRP
Our
Pricing
E-mail or
Pre-Order link

Stock Checks:

Inventory is a fluid commodity.  It changes by the hour (sometimes by the minute). To retain our pricing structure we maintain stock levels designed to turnover 6 times each year. We cannot guarantee stock status till we have an order in hand. All product is subject to prior sale. If we confirm that we have it, and, while we are waiting for the order it sells, you would be upset that we did not hold it.
We used to hold items but learned a VERY EXPENSIVE lesson. When we held items for customers’ orders, the order never materialized 80%+ of the time.  We lost out on the orders placed while the item was on hold.  Also we wasted staff time that could have been used to pull actual orders.
Since we are well known for finding older stock the fact that it may not be on our shelves at this minute does not mean we can’t get it. So, as we spell out on our terms pages, we don’t do it anymore.
You may, however, call in and we will tell you if the items are available and if possible attempt to locate what we don’t have while you are on the phone.

Last Update by:  GJC
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 3:06 PM

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