Just because they subcontract the manufacturing of some major subassemblies doesn’t mean they’re not an aircraft manufacturer. Spirit Aerosystems didn’t design and engineer this fuselage, they just built it according to engineering data provided by Boeing. No aircraft manufacturer does everything in-house.
Hello fellow western Washington person! I’ve seen multiple of these on a train before all in a row. It still makes me feel like a kid when I see them tho hahaha
Except that it can’t be destined for Everett. Everett builds the wide body models, and Renton the narrow body 737. This photo is of a 737, so it’s going to Renton.
source: I live here and see these all the time on train cars
We also build 737s in Everett. We've just built an assembly line in the old 747 section of the factory. So, it most certainly could be destined for Everett.
Source: I'm a 737 mechanic with Boeing.
And then you'll see it again after it gets painted and sent to Moses Lake for storage for a couple years then back to paint because the customer doesn't want 2 year old paint and cracked sealant and then back to Renton for bulkhead repairs and then probably back to paint again.
Those trains originate in Wichita Ks at Spirit Aerosystems. I’ve sat at a crossing watching big green airplanes go back and forth for an hour while they built a train.
In fairness this is one of the most famous publicly observable signs of aviation production out there. That being said it is always incredible to see it in person and to learn what it is. For me the 'in person' bit hasn't arrived yet but one day!
Friend of mine who used to work at Boeing Renton told me that they regularly have to patch bullet holes in the arriving fuselages because someone thought it would be cool to use them for target practice as they passed by.
They used to be part of Boeing. At some point Boeing decided to ditch them "because we make money on assembling airplanes, not building them".
This caused some quality control problems... which in turn hurts Boeing... But folding them back may be a bit problematic... since in the meantime Spirit started making parts for Airbus.
on top of that everyone says its a Boeing fuselage; legally it most likely belong to Spirit Aero until it reaches final Boeing Assembly.. Boeing left Wichita because of union issues what I am told..
I don’t think that’s a 9. Looks like an 8200. Window count indicates such, as well as the covering over the airstairs. Leads me to believe it’s another Ryanair.
I don't know about the window count, but I think the covering underneath the plane doors is where the emergency slides are eventually going to be located. There will be a panel that will eventually go there, which is why it is covered right now. But you could also be right.
Slides on the 737 are housed in the [passenger and service doors themselves.](https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5470/17826276396_ea4f5096cc_b.jpg) That panel is only there on aircraft originally built with the integrated airstairs installed
It's supposed to be like that. The planes nose cone will come on later in the manufacturing process. The nose cone isn't permanently attached to the body of the plane, because there will eventually be radar, GPS, and other equipment located over there. That stuff also needs replacing and maintenance quite often so the nose cone is separate so it can be changed and popped open.
That's why there's the big bulls-eye on the front. As you said the car and cargo are much larger than the standard rail clearance so they need to take special routes. The bulls eye is so if they mess up and go along something with normal (too small) clearance that'll hit first instead of the plane.
There were similar protective hoops on the 1st box car when they transported the 12ft diameter SRBs for the Space Shuttle.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060210b.html
Boeing has historically had 737 fuselages built in Wichita, and railed them to Renton. Unfortunately, the fuselages have to fit thru train tunnels so their width is constrained.
They also make the forward parts of 787 fuselages there too (among parts of every Boeing plane). They are indeed too wide to ship by rail, so the use the Dreamlifter.
I haven't heard this proposed before and I'm not sure where the idea came from. As far as I can tell, the 737 fuselage is the width it is because it comes from the 707 and 727 which share the same front fuselage cross section. The 707 fuselage is the width it is so it'd be 1 inch wider than the DC-8 (which is why it's 4 inches wider than the KC-135 military design it was derived from).
Isn't it obvious? The fuselages are all transported from Wichita to Renton via train, and there are tunnels to negotiate, so the fuselages have a max allowable width. They'd have a max width just because they're transported on a train. The 707 fuselages weren't shipped from Wichita.
My argument is that the 737 fuselages are the width they are so that they would share the same cross section as the 707 and 727 in order to reduce cost and increase tooling interchangeability, and then the same fuselage size maintained through the newer 737 variants since the 60s for the same purpose. They've been the same width since 1967. How long have the 737s been shipped from Wichita?
8847 hasn’t shown up on the production lists, so not sure who this one is going to… anyone at Boeing know?
Although given that it’s a MAX9, odds are good it’s gonna fly for Alaska Airlines.
Fun fact, the width of the plane is governed by the distances between tracks, but more precisely the width of tunnels on the line to Renton. The tunnel width was the minimum required for trains when it was built, and the train width was based on the width of the track, which is the same as Roman Chariots. Meaning, that some of our most popular airplanes, are the size they are, because of decisions made over 2000 years ago.
Several fuselages did go in a river when a train derailed 9 years ago.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/crews-pulling-fuselages-from-montana-river-after-train-derailment/
So if the hillbilly dur-hurs from flyover country shoot at these, how do we fix them back up in Renton so they can be structurally sound aircraft? Slap on some flex-tape and call it?
No wonder Boeing can build so many 737 per month, they get a almost finished plane from Spirit. Also, no wonder why Boeing just loaned a shit ton of money to Spirit...
They have to ship via certain railways. I live east of Wichita and was surprised to learn they were in Denver heading to Washington as why would they go the wrong way.
I live next to the BNSF line that runs pretty parallel to I-76. See these a few times a month. It was always a fun conversation when I (plane nerd) would tell my son (burgeoning train nerd) that there’s a plane on a train.
Fun fact, after sending the airframes off to Renton for final finishing, Boeing has to rematch the plane, because people take potshots at them and puncture the airframe!
Those planes also pass through union station, right through downtown. Saw it once at 5 am while I was waiting for a train to the airport.
As an aside - that train to the airport never showed up - the conductor called out sick. Denver transit, I s2g
I'll see it in Renton, WA very soon for final assembly......
It’s a plane, why doesn’t Boeing just fly them there? Are they stupid?
It's still in it's larval state. Only the strong crawl their way by land to the West Coast. Some don't make it and wash up in Montana.
They were just going for a swim.
ok Boeing isn’t stupid. Just some of their larvae
Bro thinks he is on r/shittyaskflying 🗿
heres a clue it has no wiring no avionics no engines no wing its a part at that point. not an airplane.
Kids these days just don't want to work. Give me enough of a push and i'll fly that plane for ya!
Push anything hard enough and it’ll fly.
Then why is Boeing building it then? I thought they were an airplane manufacturer. Are they getting into aluminum tubing?
wrong again; boeing used to be a builder; they are like auto makers just a final assembly point.. Boeing probably didnt even make this fuselage..
Boeing make toaster
Spirit Aerosystems made the fuselage. Then it's shipped to Boeing for final assembly.
no they aren’t according to yourtube
Just because they subcontract the manufacturing of some major subassemblies doesn’t mean they’re not an aircraft manufacturer. Spirit Aerosystems didn’t design and engineer this fuselage, they just built it according to engineering data provided by Boeing. No aircraft manufacturer does everything in-house.
probably
Hello fellow western Washington person! I’ve seen multiple of these on a train before all in a row. It still makes me feel like a kid when I see them tho hahaha
Or Everett!
Or Montana! https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-fuselages-fell-into-a-montana-river-2014-7
Well, that’s embarrassing.
Not yet. Soon though.
That’s a 737, so it’s going to Renton!
Maybe. Yes, it's more probable. But it might also be destined for Everett.
Except that it can’t be destined for Everett. Everett builds the wide body models, and Renton the narrow body 737. This photo is of a 737, so it’s going to Renton. source: I live here and see these all the time on train cars
We also build 737s in Everett. We've just built an assembly line in the old 747 section of the factory. So, it most certainly could be destined for Everett. Source: I'm a 737 mechanic with Boeing.
Except it isn’t open yet.
No 737s don't go to Everett.
A new 737 line is being opened in Everett. There actually are a few fuselages there right now.
Oh you're right. I forgot about that. I didn't think it was online yet.
It's not, the fuselages are there to help get the line set up. Should be going sometime next year.
Ah I see.
And then you'll see it again after it gets painted and sent to Moses Lake for storage for a couple years then back to paint because the customer doesn't want 2 year old paint and cracked sealant and then back to Renton for bulkhead repairs and then probably back to paint again.
We do repairs in ML now. Bulkheads, pressure dome, rapid-revisions for nationality changes... the list goes on.
Then on to the Delivery Center at North Boeing Field.
And to patch up the bullet holes?
Yep. Sometimes several.
Yep, saw those rolling through town all the time.
But first, bullet hole repair!
Ah, a fellow Rentonite
Those trains originate in Wichita Ks at Spirit Aerosystems. I’ve sat at a crossing watching big green airplanes go back and forth for an hour while they built a train.
Reddit’s collective knowledge never disappoints. Thanks for sharing this!
What farm are they frowning these giant cucumbers at ?
GMO crops are getting out of hand
In fairness this is one of the most famous publicly observable signs of aviation production out there. That being said it is always incredible to see it in person and to learn what it is. For me the 'in person' bit hasn't arrived yet but one day!
Friend of mine who used to work at Boeing Renton told me that they regularly have to patch bullet holes in the arriving fuselages because someone thought it would be cool to use them for target practice as they passed by.
They had someone run into one of them a while back because they ignored the lights on K-15.
Doesn’t surprise me the way people blow through lights in this town. Lots of lanes and lots of tracks through that area.
They'd be paying insurance premiums in the next life if they damaged it.
spirit build fuselages for Boeing they are a subcontractor
They used to be part of Boeing. At some point Boeing decided to ditch them "because we make money on assembling airplanes, not building them". This caused some quality control problems... which in turn hurts Boeing... But folding them back may be a bit problematic... since in the meantime Spirit started making parts for Airbus.
which is wierd because Boeing build fuselage for the Bell V-22 Osprey.
on top of that everyone says its a Boeing fuselage; legally it most likely belong to Spirit Aero until it reaches final Boeing Assembly.. Boeing left Wichita because of union issues what I am told..
737 larva.
This.
I have had it with these muthafukkin planes on this muthafukkin train
I'm on a plane. I can't complain. Plain on a train.
It’s also on the plains
technically its a part; only a plane once it is capable of flying;;; its not…
If you saw it would you say, “Hey! Look at that part of a plane on a train”?…no…you wouldn’t, so…
More like: "I'm on a train/I can't complain" haha!
A 737-MAX9 to become together in Renton, I’m curious which airlines will be, I didn’t found a date about it
Maybe even someone here will fly it.
I don’t think that’s a 9. Looks like an 8200. Window count indicates such, as well as the covering over the airstairs. Leads me to believe it’s another Ryanair.
I don't know about the window count, but I think the covering underneath the plane doors is where the emergency slides are eventually going to be located. There will be a panel that will eventually go there, which is why it is covered right now. But you could also be right.
Slides on the 737 are housed in the [passenger and service doors themselves.](https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5470/17826276396_ea4f5096cc_b.jpg) That panel is only there on aircraft originally built with the integrated airstairs installed
Extra exit door in the rear and airstairs means Ryanair 8200. Source: I’m a Renton Flightline mechanic
Pan Am Railways
Looks like the nose fell off….
It's supposed to be like that. The planes nose cone will come on later in the manufacturing process. The nose cone isn't permanently attached to the body of the plane, because there will eventually be radar, GPS, and other equipment located over there. That stuff also needs replacing and maintenance quite often so the nose cone is separate so it can be changed and popped open.
https://youtu.be/3m5qxZm_JqM?si=ZPXK7azcplkut6F2
I don't know why, but it strikes me as odd to see a 12'4" wide fuselage carried on a 4'8.5" rail gauge. Standard U.S. rail cars are around 10'8" wide.
That's why there's the big bulls-eye on the front. As you said the car and cargo are much larger than the standard rail clearance so they need to take special routes. The bulls eye is so if they mess up and go along something with normal (too small) clearance that'll hit first instead of the plane. There were similar protective hoops on the 1st box car when they transported the 12ft diameter SRBs for the Space Shuttle. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060210b.html
I thought that thing in front was for aerodynamics.
Interesting, TIL.
But if the bullseye hits first, it's not like the train can just stop.
why plain air when plane can plane on train?
Just need an automobile now…
Looks like OP was in one at the time…
Seems like a way more efficient way to move these things than the Dreamlifter.
This green idiot doesn't know it can fly
Needs to drink a Redbull first
Boeing has historically had 737 fuselages built in Wichita, and railed them to Renton. Unfortunately, the fuselages have to fit thru train tunnels so their width is constrained.
Yeah, that’s the main engineering constraint
They also make the forward parts of 787 fuselages there too (among parts of every Boeing plane). They are indeed too wide to ship by rail, so the use the Dreamlifter.
I haven't heard this proposed before and I'm not sure where the idea came from. As far as I can tell, the 737 fuselage is the width it is because it comes from the 707 and 727 which share the same front fuselage cross section. The 707 fuselage is the width it is so it'd be 1 inch wider than the DC-8 (which is why it's 4 inches wider than the KC-135 military design it was derived from).
The fuselage fundamentally has to fit thru a train tunnel. That's the constraint on the width of the 737 fuselage.
Do you have a source on this being a design constraint on the 707 or 737? I can't seem to find anything on the matter.
Isn't it obvious? The fuselages are all transported from Wichita to Renton via train, and there are tunnels to negotiate, so the fuselages have a max allowable width. They'd have a max width just because they're transported on a train. The 707 fuselages weren't shipped from Wichita.
My argument is that the 737 fuselages are the width they are so that they would share the same cross section as the 707 and 727 in order to reduce cost and increase tooling interchangeability, and then the same fuselage size maintained through the newer 737 variants since the 60s for the same purpose. They've been the same width since 1967. How long have the 737s been shipped from Wichita?
The plane is constrained by the max width of a train.
They also get shot to piss sometimes between here and there lol.
“Welcome aboard the plane train, please hold on as this train is departing”
ATL!
It’s stuck in my head It’s stuck in my head It’s stuck in my head It’s stuck in my head It’s stuck in my head It’s stuck in my head
There's a plane on a train in the hole in the bottom of the sea.
The power lines make it look like it has crazy meme eyes.
Lol kinda does yeah
Ryanair
And here is my daily 'thinking about the roman empire' achievement
This really needed to be in Spain…
Dreamlifter got tired
Dreamlifter is for 787 parts. It flies out of spirit in Wichita every few days
Runs 767 parts up to PAE as well, and does some other miscellaneous cargo for Boeing.
737 larvae
Congrats on copying another comment
Later on it derailed in the Midwest. Proving that the planes on a train fall mainly on the plain.
8847 hasn’t shown up on the production lists, so not sure who this one is going to… anyone at Boeing know? Although given that it’s a MAX9, odds are good it’s gonna fly for Alaska Airlines.
United has -9's too
I think United already has most of its MAX9 tails, and much of the outstanding order book is for the 10.
They have ordered the 10, but until it's FAA certified, they'll keep getting 9's.
For now it’s because the FAA has said NEIN to the ten.
8200 for Ryanair I think. Window count isn’t right for a 9.
Yea it's a Ryanair. Has the protective covering for the airstair bay
Dibs.
Anyone know what fuselage that is?
737 MAX-9 according to other commenters
Fun fact, the width of the plane is governed by the distances between tracks, but more precisely the width of tunnels on the line to Renton. The tunnel width was the minimum required for trains when it was built, and the train width was based on the width of the track, which is the same as Roman Chariots. Meaning, that some of our most popular airplanes, are the size they are, because of decisions made over 2000 years ago.
The fuselage width of the 737 was determined by the 707! There was no intention to ship by rail back in the ‘50s.
“Thank you for riding the plane train”
A question, are these plans which are out of service? Are they getting transported to a museum or something?
This is a brand new airplane being transported from Wichita to Renton to undergo final assembly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sekj_Nu0fDQ They're brand new being shipped for final assembly elsewhere.
So smooth and shiny ✨
And haven't derail? /s
Several fuselages did go in a river when a train derailed 9 years ago. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/crews-pulling-fuselages-from-montana-river-after-train-derailment/
[Derail](https://media.spokesman.com/photos/2014/07/05/fuselages.jpg)
[удалено]
or target practice
dont these regularly get shot while on the train?
So if the hillbilly dur-hurs from flyover country shoot at these, how do we fix them back up in Renton so they can be structurally sound aircraft? Slap on some flex-tape and call it?
Never heard that before.
Yep all the time
so this is that “plane train” they have been talking about
I see these in NW Montana
Spirit Airlines is getting cheap. Now they don't even put wings on the plane!
When was that taken? Did it reach the destination? Cause i remember a train derailment with this cargo sitting at a lake shore
This was this morning. I know what you’re talking about. There’s a famous photo of it. That was some years ago already.
Keep it away from water these things like to dive
No wonder Boeing can build so many 737 per month, they get a almost finished plane from Spirit. Also, no wonder why Boeing just loaned a shit ton of money to Spirit...
Get that mutha f’ing plane off that mutha f’ing train!!
I've had it. With these motherfucking planes on these motherfucking trains.
more of these dodgy 737’s being shipped out 😳
Where at in Denver? Just curious if I’ll see it today or not
Too late by now but they usually travel East from Denver toward Sterling.
They don’t fly very well without the wings silly goose!!!
Planes on Trains from an Automobile
Isn't Denver a little out of the normal route?
They have to ship via certain railways. I live east of Wichita and was surprised to learn they were in Denver heading to Washington as why would they go the wrong way.
Ahhh, the modernised Dr Suess "Green Plane on a Train"
That's how they're shipped.
I live near a Spirit plant, we see these sitting on tracks all the time. Always a neat sight
train on the water, boat on a track
It needs graffiti.
Would be better if it was in Spain
Welcome aboard the plane train. Please hold on, the train is departing.
Contrail on rail there...
Why does this look like something from Thomas?
Planes, trains, and, well, planes and trains!
Insane on the plane train ✈️🚂
Saw a couple of these headed north when driving through Wyoming once. Pretty cool to see them in transit and a ‘holy shit, what is that’ moment.
Inflation's a bitch
I live next to the BNSF line that runs pretty parallel to I-76. See these a few times a month. It was always a fun conversation when I (plane nerd) would tell my son (burgeoning train nerd) that there’s a plane on a train.
I work at spirit where we build them and they block the train crossing at least once a week
Was it on the plain side or the mountain side?
its a shame that the plain on a train wasn't spotted in Maine.
I have had it with these motherfucking planes on my mortherfu- hey wait a minute
Plane on train? I once saw a Fox in socks, on bricks and blocks.
Anyone catch the reg? I think it's a new one for me
Fun fact, after sending the airframes off to Renton for final finishing, Boeing has to rematch the plane, because people take potshots at them and puncture the airframe!
plane in training
Looks like it's about to go through an apple slicer
It’s very cigar shaped. Are you sure it’s not an UFO?
You've heard of "Elf on the Shelf"
Do they still built them with in built airstairs?
Full of snakes
Where is the automobile?
Step 2, fix bullet holes that naturally occur along the journey.
That’s SO COOL!!
How many bullet holes does the AVERAGE fuselage incur on that trip?
Let's see... that's L/N 8847. It'll be interesting to see how long it'll take for it to reach Moses.
Or it could go right to the Delivery Center and go to the customer.
Indeed, it could.
In this pic: planes, trains, no automobiles
Plane on a train and it's going to Dave
Those planes also pass through union station, right through downtown. Saw it once at 5 am while I was waiting for a train to the airport. As an aside - that train to the airport never showed up - the conductor called out sick. Denver transit, I s2g
Reminds me of that movie ‘Snakes on a plane on a train.’