A ship to railroad intermodal freight system. In an embodiment, a conveyor system is provided for placing railroad cars in a position for loading shipping containers thereon. Railroad cars have a frame with a front end and a rear end, supported between bogies. Conveyor hooks are pivotally mounted to the frame, and a guide roller with hook guide is provided to adjustably support the conveyor hook(s) below the frame of the railroad car. A method for loading or unloading the railroad cars includes lifting a conveyor hook from a drag chain conveyor using the interaction of the guide roller with a pivot board mounted at the chain conveyor, while shipping container(s) are placed on the railroad car. By utilizing the method, efficient loading and unloading of railcars involved in ship to railroad intermodal shipments may save considerable time, and thus reduce costs.