The BBC Box - on the rail to New Jersey

The NYK tracking site confirms the BBC box unloaded in Los Angeles at

00:27 Dec. 04

Container NYKU8210506 Container Size/Type 40'/DRY

Status As Of Event Location Mode
DEC-04-2008 00:27 Discharged from vessel at last port of discharge Los Angeles, CA, USA NYK Starlight/065

I tried to update the info to see if the container was on the rail, but the web-site doesn't connect. It's possible that NYK has now blocked access to this site.)

updated Dec. 7, 2008, 10:17 AM
The site is now up. This shows all the rail moves so far. Container is in New Mexico as of Dec. 6, 2008.

Container NYKU8210506 Container Size/Type 40'/DRY

Status As Of Event Location Mode
DEC-06-2008 07:56 Rail departure Belen, NM, USA Rail

Moves to Date Event Location Mode
DEC-05-2008 19:01 Rail departure Winslow, AZ, USA Rail
DEC-05-2008 08:05 Rail departure Needles, CA, USA Rail
DEC-05-2008 03:29 Rail departure Barstow, CA, USA Rail
DEC-04-2008 22:48 Departed from origin rail terminal Los Angeles, CA, USA Rail
DEC-04-2008 17:48 Rail loaded at origin rail terminal Los Angeles, CA, USA Rail
DEC-04-2008 12:31 Arrived at origin rail terminal Los Angeles, CA, USA Truck
DEC-04-2008 11:51 Departed from last port of discharge Los Angeles, CA, USA Truck

According to the BBC The Box is on it's way to New Jersey

PROJECT UPDATE
The Box has left Los Angeles by rail, bound for New Jersey via Chicago
The Box arrived in Los Angeles with a cargo of consumer goods including tape measures and fashion accessorieson Wednesday

Assuming the container loaded on the rail Dec. 5 or 6, I guess it should be in New Jersey somewhere between Dec. 12 and 16. It will most likely go to Chicago on BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe), or Union Pacific, and then from Chicago to New Jersey on either CSX or Norfolk Southern.

The BBC now once again says the container is both tape measure and fashion accessories.

My hunch is this is what is called a "consolidated" container - meaning the contents are for more than 1 customer, and a freight forwarder combined the shipments into 1 container.

This container will probably go into a container yard (called a CY, for Container Yard), in South Kearny, New Jersey (really the armpit of New Jersey). I think The Sopranos filmed one of the "hit" scenes close to this CY.

Oh, by the way, a CY is where they take the containers off the trains and either put them on wheels (chassis), or just stack them on the ground until the trucker comes in to pick it up.

There is also something called a Container Freight Station (CFS) where the contents of containers are loaded or unloaded (or stuffed, or unstuffed, which it is sometimes called, to be more specific).