Trying to figure out which style covered hopper cars go with which commodity. Which covered hopper hatch styles are used with which commodities? I believe that commodities such as plastic pellets and grains typically are shipped in hoppers with the long hatch covers? What commodities are shipped in hoppers with round hatch covers? Likewise, am I correct in assuming plastic pellets ar discharged through pneumatic fittings at the bottom whereby grains are discharged through a sliding gate at the bottom? What about other commodities?
Thanx for any insite you can provide.
Chuck
Grand River & Monongah Railroad and subsidiary Monongah Railway
I know covered hoppers used in grain service will normally have the long "trough" type hatches, I think cars in other service would all have the round hatches(??)
Generally, grain hoppers have the long trough hatches. Everything else generally moves in cars with round hatches.
Grain hoppers have gravity gates. Plastic pellet cars have pneumatic. Other cars have either depending on the commodity.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Round and hatches and square hatches I don't think matter too much. CN moved the same things as everyone else in there 2bay covered hoppers and they used square hatches. Things like cement would be gravity discharge, and things like plastic pellets as mentioned would be pneumatic discharge. Some poweders like flour, chalks, poweder calcium would be pneumatic discharge. It can be a bit tricky. You just have to keep a sharp eye open. Atlas sells ACF 3560 3 bay covered hoppers for grain products with gravity discharge and continous hatches, and also in round hatch/pneumatic discharge version. They also sell grain and other 5701 covered hoppers and 5800 hoppers. I have personally seen one of the 5800 hoppers. They're flippin huge! Atlas is also soon to come out with 6400 cubic foot (I think 6434) 4 bay covered hoppers in their new ethanol series line. The big thing to look for is the style of hatches on the top. When I started buying train stuff I was going to stock up on PS2 two bay covered hoppers for grain service in a late 50's time frame. I was waaaaaaaaaaay off.
Virtually all plastic pellet and resin cars will have round hatches on top. Grain, soda ash, potash, fertilizer tend to use cars with trough hatches. Cement, fly ash tend to use individual hatches.
Chemical products (plastics and resins) will have pnuematic outlets. Almost all other commodities use sliding door outlets.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I'm revitalizing this old thread rather than starting a new one. I'm still confused by some of the responses as it pertains to my specific issue:
What type of commodity is shipped in hoppers that have the combination of round hatches for loading and sliding door gravity (nonpneumatic) discharge?
There are a few model manufacturers who make models with this combination. I am assuming that pellet/granular (dry) fertilizer would be a common commodity transported in a covered hopper with round hatches and gravity discharge?
- Douglas
The critical thing is the discharge outlets. These are more commodity-specific than the loading hatches.
Trough hatches are mostly grain.
Square and round single hatches are defined more by era. The square ones tend to be early, with round ones replacing them in many of the early LO (AAR covered hopper designation) designs.
Various sliding gates handle everything from grain (so with trough hatces) to fertilizer (usually round, but could be square loading hatches). Typically, these would be lower value commodities, as a sliding gate is subject to moisture penetration depending on design and state of repair. They unload via gravity and the use of car shakers.
High value commodities tend to have the round outlets, as well as ones that could cause problems if they get wet, like cement. They seal up well, so don't have the issue with moisture slding gates often have. They unload via pneumatic pressure. Car shakers can be used, but typically are less necessary, since the load stays really dry and tends to not have the same issues as sliding gate cars sometimes do.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Thanks Mike. I'm sure that unit grain trains prefer trough hatches as the cars can be moving slowly through loading without fear of much spillage, which would be the case with more individual hatches.
And while shippers want neither grain or fertilizer to get wet, I would think that the soluable nature of fertilizer would make it more difficult to unload if it got wet, so shippers might prefer the better seasling round hatches for fertilizer over the trough type, but I'm sure both can be used effectively to ship fert.
I'm trying to be a bit more prototypical in my ops and was looking for the "proper" type of hopper to spot at the fert dealer. They should mainly be round hatch types with an occasional trough type mixed in, IMO.
Sand and cement: round hatches, and usually gravity discharge
Plastic pellets: round hatches and pneumatic discharge. The plastic pellets are not explosed to the elements but go directly into large storage tanks.
I have seen cars that have round hatches built into the long hatches. Perhaps for testing the grain before unloading?
By the way one detail not often modeled: it is not uncommon to see sheets of clear heavy duty plastic under the round hatches to further protect the load from contamination and moisture. I have modeled that using the very thin plastic or glassine in "window" type envelopes.
Dave Nelson
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Thanks Bear, that is the kind of train I like to model...its even running long hood forward.
It looks like the hoppers are trough hatch type. As another has mentioned, sometimes grain hoppers get downgraded into fert service.
I guess on way to tell what the hopper was designed for, is to look at the company logo on the side.
I looks like it isn't going to really matter what type of hatches a hopper has when switching the fert dealer.
BTW, that red hopper with the white sash is offered by Intermountain and Atlas Trainman in HO scale. (or very similar to it)
Thanks Bear