Railcar storage Frequently Asked Questions

Viper is a railcar storage provider that specializes in hazardous and non-hazardous railcar storage. Although the majority of our business is in the petrochemical and coal industry, we provide storage for any type privately marked, empty, or loaded railcar. We offer storage location options that Interchange with all Class I railroads. We offer flexible terms, competitive rates, and premium service.

We store any type of privately marked, empty or loaded railcar. If it’s hazardous, non-hazardous or a full size unit train, we have multiple location options for you.

We understand that price is important, and realized, at the end of the day, our rates need to be competitive. Our short-line partners understand this, and work to ensure we stay in line with other short-line railroads, who work directly with customers. Beyond price, Viper measures the overall cost that is involved in how you find, negotiate, manage, and deal with multiple personal at each railroad operation. Our value added service upgrades this process, and outperforms other storage options in the market; this allows for a reduction in your overall cost for railcar storage. Our average daily storage rates range from $4 per car per day up to $16 per car per day, depending on the location, and product that is being stored. Switch rates range from $100 to $300 per car in & out. We’ll always give you multiple options to ensure your railcar storage price keeps your overall cost to a minimum.

Although storage is traditionally based on a daily-rate agreement, we have customizable options to offer a “take-or-pay,” allowing you access for a guaranteed amount of space. Typically, if you have railcars frequently going in/out of storage (on a short-term basis), in a desired location, it can be advantageous to pay for a designated number of spaces. We’ve offered from as few as 5 spots, up to over 100 spots. Purchasing a guarantee of space can provide an overall reduction in cost. Additionally, a guarantee can reduce the risk of having to send railcars to a less desired location. This occurs when a storage yard unexpectedly hits their maximum storage capacity. This can happen during certain times of the year, based upon the storage needs of the market. Let us know if you would like more information on a potential Guarantee Agreement.

Viper makes railcar storage cost effective and easy! We have over 100 storage locations sites across the United States and Canada. We have pre-established sites so you don’t have to look yourself. We provide a single-point-of-contact (SPOC) to manage multiple storage locations involving the movement, security, and overall care of your railcars. Furthermore, having a SPOC eliminates unnecessary transactional costs, and possible communication delays; this enables Viper to be an extension to your workflow, enhancing your abilities, allowing you to focus on what you do best.

Because we have locations throughout the United State and Canada, we cover most major markets; delivery to your destination is almost always within 5 to 7 days from our storage sites. Please see our location map for a railcar storage facility near you.

Because we have such a variety of storage locations around North America, we can easily facilitate a storage plan that involves multiple locations to meet your needs. If it’s staging your railcars for a short period of time, or holding railcars in SIT (Storage-In-Transit), we can accommodate for just about anything. Many Viper customers strategically place SIT product in certain holding locations. This allows for quick access to their product, for delivery to their customers. We see a lot of this in the petrochemical and plastics industries. Contact us for more information.

Viper’s founder combines over 43 years In the Railroad Industry; 32 years with a Class I RR, and 11 years in the Railcar Storage business. Our associates are veterans in railcar storage with backgrounds in business and communications.

Viper services work around the clock; 24/7 365. If you need movement on railcars, or any other need to communicate with Viper’s team, someone is always on call to facilitate in your storage needs.

Although Viper is dedicated to railcar storage, many within our network of partners offer additional services while in storage. If cars need maintenance or cleaning, we can help facilitate this process. If you’re in need of other services, please don’t hesitate to ask Viper.

All you need to do is contact us, to let us know what your storage needs entail. Once you provide us with this basic information, we’ll provide location & pricing options. Upon acceptance of our proposed storage plan, we’ll provide simple instructions, and finalize implementation. Once we receive a proof of insurance certificate for your railcars, we’ll provide a basic storage agreement. At that point you bill your cars to the specified storage site, and we take care of the rest!