I recently bought two Atlas six bay hoppers (that is the label on the box). These cars have five loading hatches on top, and six unloading doors on the bottom, with the centre loading hatch centered on the top.
Would these cars have six total seperate bays, and therefor be able to carry six different colours of plastic pellets, (one possibility).
I feel that six bays should mean six compartments, but others had a different opinion.
Thanks to all.
Davie
Hey Davie
I don't think there are separate compartments. I think it's more a load distribution issue as it applies to the physics of it.
In this case a picture is worth more than a lot of words. I do believe the design goes something like this.
It won't be plastic pellets since they don't have the right outlet gates for pellets. I used to work on the Gulf coast, plastic pellet heaven, and I never saw a single RR owned car loaded with pellets. Not the right gates, hatches or linings, plus the railroads didn't want their cars tied up for months with one load. Only private owners, the chemical companies or leasing companies.
They were a very rare car. Probably potash or something like that. Not real heavy like clay or cement, but not real light like grain or pellets.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Thanks to both of you. The explanation diagram makes sense, the example of plastic pellets was my thought of something that would come in multiple colours.
One load in the car, multiple load and unload points for speed. All is now clear.
Dave
What Atlas markets as a six bay hopper is a model of the American Car and Foundry 3960 cu. ft. capacity Center Flow covered hopper. The following information was found in "A History of the ACF Center Flow" by Eric A. Neubauer, as Freight Cars Journal, Monograph #2, published 1987 by The Society of Freight Car Historians. The ACF 3960 was built from 1962 to 1964, as one of the early design center flows. They could be had with five 20" or 30" hatches or, six 20 inch hatches. They had three compartments, the center having a capacity of 1115 cubic feet while the end compartments were listed at 1430 cu. ft. each. Simple math gives us a total of 3975 cu. ft. yet the cars were listed as 3960. The center compartment only had one centered hatch but discharged through two gates just like the end compartments. The variance in cubic capacity may have been due to the type of discharge gates the car was equipped with which could be either bolted or welded to the car and be pneumatic, gravity, or gravity-pneumatic. About 917 steel cars were built along with approximately 288 aluminum cars. Their main cargoes were grain, feed, bauxite and bulk plastics although I agree that those cars used for bulk plastic loading would almost certainly not be railroad owned. A plastics car may be under one load for a year or more. Original railroad owner reporting marks include B&O, C&O, D&TS, GN, ITC, MP, SAL, SLSF, SP, SSW, TP, TPW and WAB. Information may also be found in Edward Kaminski's ACF book of later vintage.
davidmurrayThanks to both of you. The explanation diagram makes sense, the example of plastic pellets was my thought of something that would come in multiple colours.
I've also never seen plastic pellets shipped in "colors", they were always "white" or clear and the customer tinted them to their specifications. Plastic come in thousands of grades, different chemical compositions, densities, melting points, etc. All the cars I've seen had one grade of plastic per car.
Not saying it wasn't done, but it wasn't common.
dehusmanI've also never seen plastic pellets shipped in "colors", they were always "white" or clear and the customer tinted them to their specifications. Plastic come in thousands of grades, different chemical compositions, densities, melting points, etc. All the cars I've seen had one grade of plastic per car
I worked in the GM parts plant in Oshawa. While I never worked in the plastics department, I know that the plastic pellets came in coloured. You are absolutely right that plastic comes in many different grades/characteristics for various uses.
David