Bingman calls himself Schnabelmeister for good reason. His relationship with CEBX 800 -- the behemoth Schnabel car in his care -- dates back to its 1980 construction in Germany.

"I was at the factory before the finish paint was on it," he said.

The specialized two-piece car suspends cargo in a vice-like grip. Loaded with hydraulics, the Schnabel car cost about $3.5 million to build, and Bingman said it was completely disassembled and refurbished at an expense of about $500,000 in 2003.

Bingman's meticulous care and attention to detail are evident in the rail car's appearance.

"I'd say it's in equal condition to when it was new," he said matter-of-factly.

The car will be used to move a 678-ton high-pressure steel tank from a heavy-lift ship to a new facility that OPTI Canada Ltd. is building near Fort McMurray, more than 200 miles north of Edmonton in Alberta. There, it will go into a plant designed to extract oil from a tar-sand formation.

To date, the Schnabel car has hauled cargo exclusively for the petroleum industry, and the trip to Canada will be the 14th of its life. Bingman's not overly superstitious but said he's glad to have put job No. 13 under his belt recently.

The Schnabel car has been a surprisingly familiar sight in Duluth. In 1986 and 1990 it carried tanks from the port to other Canadian oil facilities under construction, but Bingman said this will be the northernmost trip the car has made.

After its 1990 job, the Schnabel car was stored in Duluth for a couple of years, awaiting its next assignment.

"I can't say enough good things about the business climate here and the level of cooperation we've had from the Port Authority and Lake Superior Warehousing," Bingman said. "Being back in Duluth almost feels like coming home."

Ron Johnson, director of trade development for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, said that as Alberta expands its oil production, there will be new opportunities for heavy-lift work.

"We've got a positive reputation for handling these kinds of cargoes," Johnson said, adding that the port's proven track record helps when representatives call on the Calgary market each March in pursuit of business.

Before the Schnabel car makes its way to Fort Mc-Murray, Bingman makes an advance trip along the entire route, documenting problem areas and laying plans to address them.

"A job like this doesn't happen lightly," he said. "It takes about a year of advance work."

The Schnabel car's cargo is expected to arrive in Duluth by ship come October, but Bingman and his five-man crew won't depart for Canada until December. He explained that the ground must be frozen solid to support the tremendous weight of the load, particularly in some of the boggy areas the train must traverse.

The Schnabel car weighs about 370 tons when empty. With its intended cargo, it will tip the scale at more than 1,000 tons.

The loaded car will travel at a maximum speed of 15 mph, but it sometimes slows to a crawl in tricky spots. For safety's sake, the train will move only during daylight hours.

"A good day for us is about 100 miles," Bingman said.

The special train pulling the Schnabel car probably will leave Duluth during the first week of December and will arrive at its destination -- more than 1,500 miles away -- in early January.