Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION: What is the purpose of this site?

ANSWER: It's a photo gallery of shipping containers. It is used by transportation historians, scale modelers, and people in the transportation industry.

QUESTION: Are you selling the containers shown on this web site?

ANSWER: NO! I am not affiliated in any way with the owners of the containers, nor am I a container dealer. This is merely a photo collection. Click here to go to a list of container dealer web sites.

QUESTION: Can you quote me prices on used containers?

ANSWER: NO. I am not affiliated in any way with the owners of the containers, nor am I a container dealer. I cannot quote prices on containers. See above.

QUESTION: Can you provide me a CAD drawing of a container?

ANSWER: NO. I am not affiliated in any way with any container manufacturers so I do not have access to detailed container drawings. Such drawings are typically proprietary information so you probably won't be able to find them on the internet.

QUESTION: Can you quote me shipping rates?

ANSWER: NO. Once again, I am not affiliated with any shipping companies.

QUESTION: Can I use these photos on my web site?

ANSWER: Permission may be given, but you must first e-mail me with your request.

QUESTION: Can I use these photos in a publication?

ANSWER: No, not without express written permission from the original photographer. If you want to use any of these images in a publication you must first e-mail me. I cannot give permission for use of any images other than my own. Please note I generally will not grant permission to foreign organizations because of difficulties associated with payment and enforcement of copyrights.

QUESTION: What does the "TIR" decal on containers mean?

ANSWER: "Transport Internationale Routiere". This is a customs convention used by international container carriers since 1975 to ensure a sealed container can pass through customs inspections internationally without being opened. Most new containers do not display TIR decals on the side anymore, although TIR customs certifications are still used.

QUESTION: What does the "IC" decal on containers mean?

ANSWER: "InterContainer". This is an international railway safety certification. The number after the "IC" identifies the specific railway certification. Common examples: "IC61" is Korean National Railways, "IC70" is British Rail; "IC80" is Deutsche Bahn (German Railways), "IC81" is Austrian Federal Railways, "IC87" is SNCF (French National Railways).

QUESTION: What does the "22G1" or "42G1" or "45G1" (etc.) code mean on a container?

ANSWER: This is a size/type code established by the ISO for shipping containers. ISO Standard 6346 presently defines these codes. Since 1996, the 4-digit code consists of an alphanumeric combination. The first two digits are a size code. The 3rd and 4th digits are a type code. The latest codes can be looked up on the BIC Size & Type Code web site. Legacy (pre-1996) size/type codes were purely numeric. A historic summary of these codes is available here.

QUESTION: What does the little yellow 2,6m / 8'6" decal on containers mean?

ANSWER: This is the height of the container reported in meters on the top and feet-inches on the bottom. On high-cubes it's 2,9m / 9'6".

QUESTION: Why is there a visible air gap between two 20-foot containers when they are in the bottom well of a double-stack railcar?

ANSWER: This is because 20-foot containers are actually shorter than 20 feet. They are 19'-10 1/2" (6058mm) in outside length. This is to prevent the containers from binding inside containership cells or railcar wells. 40-foot containers are indeed 40'-0" (12192mm) in length. 30-foot containers are actually 29'-11 1/4" (9125mm) in length. 10-foot containers are actually 9'-9 3/4" (2991mm) in length. There are slight manufacturing tolerances allowed beyond these dimensions.

QUESTION: Where do these photos come from?

ANSWER: We have a lot of photos from southern California, but many of the contributors live all around the world. Click here for a list.

QUESTION: I am building a model railroad and I am wondering what containers are appropriate for trains in my time era?

ANSWER: Here is a detailed discussion.

QUESTION: I would like to submit pictures for the website. What format do you need?

ANSWER: First of all, please e-mail me before sending me pictures. I prefer .jpg format with the highest resolution you've got. The photos must be taken by you. I cannot publish copyrighted material or any photos not taken by you. Blurry, out-of-focus, or under/over exposed photos probably won't get posted since I have limited disk space and I can't waste it on poor photos. Also, check if I already have a photo of a similar container in the galleries before submitting. If I already have a photo of a similar container on the web site, then I probably won't use another one. This web site is not an archive of unlimited capacity. The intent is to have a representative sample of photos illustrating typical container liveries for each owner/operator.

QUESTION: Do you accept advertising or banners?

ANSWER: No, not at this time. I want this site to be completely independent and advertisement-free.

QUESTION: Where can I find more information on containers?

ANSWER: Visit the Resources section of this web site.