BNSF moves the fuselages from Wichita, Kan., to to Renton, and has been doing so for more than 20 years. “We’ve been doing this for such a long time, we feel like we’re part of the assembly line,” said BNSF Group Vice President David Garin. “We go to all lengths to make sure we meet their scheduling. We feel very comfortable with our capacity.” Boeing plans to bring 737 production up to 38 a month in the second quarter of 2013, and 42 monthly in the second quarter of 2014. The rate is now 35 a month.
The 89-foot cars will be modified by Boeing to carry the aluminum 737 fuselages. Making sure they arrive unmarred is a challenge, because even an errant tree branch can scratch the relatively soft metal.
“These things cannot have a scratch in them,” Garin said, who adds that the oversize fuselages are so much wider than normal rail cars that in places, two fuselages can’t go by one another.
“Wind blades or anything else going in the other direction, we need to make sure two trains can pass,” he said. “We find we have to clear brush, tree branches. Literally a scratch on these things causes a lot of concern.”
