I’m having a hard time locating hopper cars for a food industry (bakery). I’m modeling 1980‘s to mid 1990’s. I see some hoppers available but I’m not sure which ones are specific to flour and such. Most are for aggregates or fertilize. I model HO scale and the bakery is Magic Pan Bakery
Even the shortest covered hopper would carry a large amount of flour. Maybe a month's worth. The receiver would have 72 hrs to unload, so would need a container in house at least 25% larger. The same with liquids in tank cars. This would be a very large backery. I have not seen the one you are using, hope it is against and extends through the backdrop.
Look for air slide hoppers, the time period would be right. Here's a review in an issue of MR.
https://mrr.trains.com/news-reviews/staff-reviews/2017/12/scaletrainscom-ho-airslide-covered-hoppers
They were used for flour, sugar and other forms of ground and granulated food products.
I still see them today, although most are in "buffer" car service. There are pressurized center flow hoppers that also would work.
The silos on your Walthers bakery would be filled using air pressure. The air would "fluff up" the product, move it through the pipes, and into the silo.
If you look at the picture on the box, you'll see a Santa Fe air slide hopper next to the silos.
Mike.
My You Tube
Airslide hoppers previoulsy linked or made by Walthers. Also, Pressureaide Hoppers made by Atlas. Assuming HO scale.
http://archive.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/arc-hopressureaide.htm
- Douglas
The big 55' three or four-bay covered hoppers like in the links above are/were generally used more for hauling corn or grain rather than flour. Flour would more likely be hauled in a shorter (36'-40') 2-bay covered hopper. A search on say the Walthers website for "2-bay covered hopper car" or something similar should produce a lot of cars that would fit the bill.
In the steam / transition era, flour would have been shipped in sacks in boxcars.
wjstix The big 55' three or four-bay covered hoppers like in the links above are/were generally used more for hauling corn or grain rather than flour. Flour would more likely be hauled in a shorter (36'-40') 2-bay covered hopper. A search on say the Walthers website for "2-bay covered hopper car" or something similar should produce a lot of cars that would fit the bill. In the steam / transition era, flour would have been shipped in sacks in boxcars.
The description Atlas wrote was that the pressureaide hopper was used for transporting "dry powdery" substances. Some were lettered for Continental Banking and Staley.
Perhaps they were used more for corn starch than flour?
I'm sure large companies certainly could have gotten 55' cars full of flour, and Magic Pan could have gotten some that way too. It does seem like it's easier to find the smaller model cars lettered for flour or milling companies than the larger ones, which as the OP says seem more commonly lettered for plastics or other non-food related use.
I would use ADM and Cargill covered hoppers.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
wjstix I'm sure large companies certainly could have gotten 55' cars full of flour, and Magic Pan could have gotten some that way too. It does seem like it's easier to find the smaller model cars lettered for flour or milling companies than the larger ones, which as the OP says seem more commonly lettered for plastics or other non-food related use.
I agree with you the shorter cars seem more likely. It depends on era I think. I believe the pressureaids were specifically designed to replace the airslide hoppers. Of course as things go, capacity usually goes up with new iterations. The pressureaides are not extremely long cars. I don't think they are even 60 ft long. The older airslides I think were 50 ft.
Plastics and grain, larger pieces, are represented by the traditional Athearn 55 ft centerflow hopper. And now there are covered hoppers with even larger capacity.
http://archive.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/arc-ho5701.htm
I found this one on eBay. I might get it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/WALTERS-GOLD-LINE-HO-TRAIN-932-40554-50-AIRSLIDE-HOPPER-ADM-NEW-NIB-/303421424442?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10
Back in the late 80's, I used to work a Conrail local out of Oak Point (Bronx) servicing the few customers that were left on the New Haven line. One of them was Arnold Bakers in Greenwich (just east of the NY/CT state line).
Seems that the hoppers we placed there were "on the short side", 40ft. or a little less. It's been a long time...
nscsx I found this one on eBay. I might get it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/WALTERS-GOLD-LINE-HO-TRAIN-932-40554-50-AIRSLIDE-HOPPER-ADM-NEW-NIB-/303421424442?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10
That is a good car for what you're doing, IMO. By the late 80s, they probably would be getting old. Here is some history:
https://lionelllc.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/freight-car-friday-airslide-covered-hoppers/
Here is a thread in the Trains forum that talks about shorty covered hoppers of all kinds. Mentions airslides. Sounds like flour is a lighter material than say, sand, so it might be shipped in the 50 ft airslides.
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/55356.aspx
Thanks for all the responses everyone and the links. Starting to see that you have to really jump on things outa the Walthers catalog (or any model Dealer) as soon as the new products come out because they get gobbled up so quickly. I’ve had to realy scrummage around to find what little was left of the 50’ airslide. (This is the Type Walthers calls out for in the instructions for this bakery and era).I’m not trying to discredit anyone who made other suggestions though.
nscsxStarting to see that you have to really jump on things outa the Walthers catalog (or any model Dealer) as soon as the new products come out because they get gobbled up so quickly.
That can be true, but be aware too that Walthers often does limited productions of specific numbers of cars, so will offer say ATSF cars in three different reporting mark numbers, then six months later do three more ATSF cars but with different numbers. If you don't need that specific number, you probably can find basically the same car elsewhere (like a local RR flea market). But a lot of manufacturers make covered hopper cars, which leads to another point....
nscsxI’ve had to realy scrummage around to find what little was left of the 50’ airslide. (This is the Type Walthers calls out for in the instructions for this bakery and era).I’m not trying to discredit anyone who made other suggestions though.
Walthers kit instructions often will reference "suggestions" of other Walthers items that might go along with the kit you bought, like particular cars, fencing, vehicles etc. that Walthers makes. That doesn't mean those are the only things that will work with your kit, or even that it's the most correct thing to go with your structure.
Don't be afraid of Ebay as a source for cars. You know what your looking for.
In spite of what some say, Ebay is NOT "Evil Bay".
If your finding what you need in your LHS, good for you.
Any covered hopper can be used for a dedicated service IF it has a coating for that particular service on the interior of the car. For food grade the coating would probably require FDA approval for that product and the coating would be listed on the car side and probably the ORER.