This looks like sand to me. We had a recent threads on what hoppers for sand, but I don't remember a mention of tarps.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I first noticed tarps used in the early 1990s when Conrail began hauling the "trash trains" or dried human waste from the waste treatment plants.
https://whnt.com/news/train-hauling-10m-pounds-of-human-***-stranded-in-walker-county-town-god-help-us-if-it-gets-hot/
I was riding along in the cab of a freight when we got stopped by a signal outside of Buffalo. We just happened to be right along side another stopped "fecal freight" which wasn't too pleasant in the middle of August
Passing in other trains or standing trackside I'm glad to know the loads are tarped.
Cheers, Ed
My dog would happily cooperate with creating a prototypical load, but I think I will pass on the Oderama
BigDaddyMy dog would happily cooperate
You would probably have to treat it with sodium hypochlorate, centrifuge it and bake it out in your toaster oven, pulverize it then load it into your hoppers.
You want to maintain that level of realism
It's cotton seed.
Ray
A number of railroads had tarps on their hoppers.
In Toledo the Anderson's Grain Elevator had a tarp covering the grain in open hopper cars. The brown on top of the car is the tarp.
The Reading hauled raw sugar in open hoppers and had a framework to spread a tarp over the load, the cars were marked with a blue end panel to designate they were for sugar loading only.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
After the CSX-Conrail merger I used to run CSX's Q641 from Collinwood, Oh. to New Castle Pa. This train usually had a block of building demolition debris from New York going to a dump near Youngstown, Oh. Many of the cars used were ex unit coal train gondolas. Some were not covered, some had an open mesh cover, and others had tarps.
One day while crossing the bridge over the Cayuhoga River near Marcy Yard at about 45 mph on the double track ex NYC Shortline I looked back and saw one of those tarps floating above its car like a big sail. Since we had to stop in a few miles at Parma to throw a switch to turn onto the ex B&O line to Sterling, Oh. I thought someone at the yard could deal with tarp.
As I slowed for the switch a trailer train on the adjacent track passed by in heavy dynamic braking with the tarp wrapped around his cab blocking all the windows.
Mark Vinski
Ref RDG and raw sugar. I find that strange. My dad worked for the US's largest sweetener company and all their cane (as opposed to beet - which was a Left Coast operation) refineries were located in ports on the East and Gulf Coasts. After all, you're bringinng in either the canes or raw sugar by ship anyway, and need plenty of water for the process (cooling and process) - why pay extra transportation costs to move the raw material inland....Do you have more details on this operation
Those are wood chip cars. Notice the end has a door that swings up. I know nothing about cotton seed, but Ray might be on to something.
I'll stick with the wood chips.
Positively not sand, cars are way to big, and way to full for sand.
And for trash trains, here's my version, copied from the BNSF trash trains that haul out the Seattle area:
I think I have a trash train on my YT.
Mike.
My You Tube
The white material in the cars is definitely cottonseeds. Those gondolas were built for hauling cottonseeds. My guess is these days there is more cottonseed being moved in these cars and cars built for woodchips then there are woodchips being hauled by rail.
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
BEAUSABRE Ref RDG and raw sugar. I find that strange. My dad worked for the US's largest sweetener company and all their cane (as opposed to beet - which was a Left Coast operation) refineries were located in ports on the East and Gulf Coasts. After all, you're bringinng in either the canes or raw sugar by ship anyway, and need plenty of water for the process (cooling and process) - why pay extra transportation costs to move the raw material inland....Do you have more details on this operation
I tried finding more detailed information, but I know that the Reading refurbished 115 hopper cars with 10" extensions and a framework for a tarp on top of the car. The Reading serviced the large prior to closing Jack Frost Sugar Factory in Philidelphia. I can only assume the Reading transported the raw sugar from freighters bringing in sugar from the West Indies and Brazil. I also believe it was not packaged as it would be cheaper than the 375# bags that were previously loaded in boxcars. The Reading also had numerous covered hoppers from transporting refined sugar from the factory also.