Herb
What you are dreaming about with a trailer to be depressed the whole length DOES exsist....as do some of the other items on your dream list that go along with it. BUT not with out problems, first all most all states will not let you move an engine and tender as one load due to weight issues, they are divisable and there for should be moved in 2 pieces..this also in most cases is cheaper than a 1 piece move dure to the need for smaller equipment and less gross weight on permit applications, and on a ton mile permit like some states issue..thats a big savings.
also the use of small rigs allow for more flex in getting around..hey I have hauled many many passenger cars down the road on transit trailers at 157 feet long and let me tell you SHORTER IS BETTER ! what a pain in the butt when you gotta ride the "tiller" for 15 or 30 miles at 15 mph steering the rear....every part of the country has a different set of rules as to what you can and can not do..with some of the larger super hul railroad equipment I move we sometimes have to change trailer half way across the country,trailers that can super haul in PA are not legal in CA and so on. Some times Narrow gauge can be a bigger pain to deal with then standard gauge and then visa versa...every move is different..in my book there is no "standard move" other than the Thomas locos we handle all around the country and even then every drop point is different then the last so it is a little bit of and adventure each trip. I have moved well over 100 pieces of rilrod equipment all over the country via truck . flat car, hospital train etc from steam locomotive to pssenger and freight cars to turntables and bridges. From PA to NM and CO to PA and IA to FL and the list goes on. Belive me I still don't have it all figured out.
Super hauling of railroad equipment is an art..you have to have a good understanding and knowledge of what your moving in order to spot potential problems with it.
On some of the work I have done it has been a weeks worth of work with a 4 man crew just to prep and stablize the piece or in the case of the Camden and Amboy #3 from the Smithsonian to "box it up" for protection. Dreaming about the "perfect" rail equipment trailer is a wonderfull thing and if I had all my dream trailers I would probably have a yard filled with 40 of them for every senario I have been through.
Dreams are great but I have to work with what is practical and what is leagal depending on what part of the world you are standing in when you make the move.
just my 2 cents worth.
Mike Venezia