I hope someone can provide some guidance. I want to find out what type of cars and commodities, other than carbon black in covered hoppers, would be inbound to a tire manufacturing plant. Thank you.
According to this page tires are made up of:
Natural rubber - possibly in box cars, I would imagine.
Butadiene Rubber and Styrene Butadiene Rubber - Both solids, so boxcars again. If they make their own, likely tank cars with the appropriate chemicals.
Steel - Depends on whether the plant makes its own wire or gets it ready to use. In the former case, possibly gondolas containing spools of larger wire. In the latter, probably boxcars.
Textiles - the cords (nylon, aramid, etc) used in the tires. If the plant buys finished cord, likely boxcars. If they make their own, possibly tank cars of the appropriate chemicals.
You've already mentioned carbon black.
These are my impressions - anyone with more knowledge can certainly refine/correct.
That said - a lot will depend on the size of the plant. A large plant will likely get railcar-load shipments of the necessary components. A smaller plant may rely on trucks.
And don't forget the outgoing loads of tires.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I worked in a tire factory 50 years ago. Cord fabric will arrive by truck. It tends to absorb moisture so transit time is critical. Natural rubber arrived in box cars. There wasn't a lot of it then and I don't know about now. Synthetics arrived as monomers in tank cars. Bead wire came both ways. Steel tread plys were not a "thing" then except for Michelin and maybe Pirelli. Much more would come by truck these days due to the "just in time" religion. There are other components in smaller quantities but they will ship by truck.
Finished tires back then shipped both ways, usually truck load with some LTL and box car loads.
ln the 70's one of the rubber companies received bulk natural rubber on ships that unloaded at one of the piers at Locust Point Marine Terminal in Baltimore. The natural rubber was loaded in box cars and moved West to Akron or some other rubber producing area.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Odd, but I never thought about raw materials arriving at Akron's rubber factories; I only thought about the products. After reading here all of the ingredients that arrived by rail I found myself thinking, No wonder there are so many tracks (and abandonned ROW's) in that city.
In the 1960's one could smell the rubber in the air all over central Akron, just as one could smell the scent of steel-making chemicals in downtown Cleveland, the Mahoning Valley, and Pittsburgh. One local joke: "This town smells awful, just like rubber (or steel)." Reply: "Smells like bacon & eggs to me."
Frankly, I miss those days. No similar odors in these cities today, nor smoke. No great unionized manufacturing jobs, either. Consequently, not nearly as many trains.
NKP guy Odd, but I never thought about raw materials arriving at Akron's rubber factories; I only thought about the products. After reading here all of the ingredients that arrived by rail I found myself thinking, No wonder there are so many tracks (and abandonned ROW's) in that city. In the 1960's one could smell the rubber in the air all over central Akron, just as one could smell the scent of steel-making chemicals in downtown Cleveland, the Mahoning Valley, and Pittsburgh. One local joke: "This town smells awful, just like rubber (or steel)." Reply: "Smells like bacon & eggs to me." Frankly, I miss those days. No similar odors in these cities today, nor smoke. No great unionized manufacturing jobs, either. Consequently, not nearly as many trains.
The USA no longer is able to manufacture itself to prosperity. All the manufacturing has been shipped off shore.
Des Moines IA still has two agricultural/truck tire plants. About 20 years ago when the remote control switch engines started appearing in the yards, Des Moines was the second yard on the UP to get them, I was on the remote job that switched out the Bridgestone/Firestone plant.
Box cars of rubber were in the mix that we took to the plant. The plant had it's own switch engine, but we did spot the cars of rubber into one of the inside docks.
Switching that plant was like doing one of Zug's (or Model Railroader's) switching puzzles. One of our engineers started out working for the tire company running their switch engine.
Jeff
Regarding moving manufacturing off-shore, in my job as a boiler inspector I go to factories every day of the week. Yes, the average household item is made in China but so many other things are made here in Canada and I would think it would be the same in the States. For example, I visit Magna plants. Magna is a Canadian company that makes components for automobiles. Stamping plants, punching out odd shapes of metal that when welded together becomes an automobile. They do it for many manufacturers including G.M, Toyota and Honda. These three brands all make cars here. There are plants where people are at work stations assembling what will become the headliner in an SUV complete with insulation and wiring, just for example.
Remember the two-story Airbus plane? Its landing gear was made in Oakville, Ontario. I've been in the plant and the main landing gear was as high as a three-story building. The legs of the landing gear were forged in Burlington, Ontario. In Hamilton, Ontario railroad tank cars are built at Canadian Steel Car just adjacent to the steel plants there. Procor makes rail cars too in Burlington.
Then there are food plants. I've inspected the boilers just this week in a Unilever plant in Toronto. Served by rail, by the way. Their product? Hellman's mayonaisse. There are plants that make gravies, sauces, ravioli, sausages, you name it. What is that but industry? Near Windsor, Ontario are any number of tool & die makers supplying parts to the auto industy and damn near every one has help wanted signs on their lawns. They also offer good wages, too. I've asked.
I used to go to Michigan every July for a big classic car show in Plymouth. Everywhere around are car plants, contractors and sub-contractors. It sure isn't just Detroit or Dearborn but the car business covers the whole state. Manufacturing is here; but you have to look harder for it.
Also industry has had to conform to more stringent environmental regulations.. can't just dump untreated pollutants into the water and air anymore (like the good old days I guess). Gone are the days when one could smell a paper mill from 30 miles away. Now, even in gritty industrial cities the air smells almost fresh.
Nah. I've recently driven past paper mills. They still stink and you can still smell them miles away. :-)But yes, overall the air is MUCH better. Just sit in traffic behind a classic car and you'll get taste for how it once was.
Looking at Google Earth of the Goodyear plant in Danville, VA, I see tank cars and covered hoppers. I don't see any boxcars, but there are a lot of trucks on hand.
Might be worth looking for other plants to see what they have from Google Earth.
Ulrich Also industry has had to conform to more stringent environmental regulations.. can't just dump untreated pollutants into the water and air anymore (like the good old days I guess). Gone are the days when one could smell a paper mill from 30 miles away. Now, even in gritty industrial cities the air smells almost fresh.
54light15 Regarding moving manufacturing off-shore, in my job as a boiler inspector I go to factories every day of the week. Yes, the average household item is made in China but so many other things are made here in Canada and I would think it would be the same in the States. For example, I visit Magna plants. Magna is a Canadian company that makes components for automobiles. Stamping plants, punching out odd shapes of metal that when welded together becomes an automobile. They do it for many manufacturers including G.M, Toyota and Honda. These three brands all make cars here. There are plants where people are at work stations assembling what will become the headliner in an SUV complete with insulation and wiring, just for example. Remember the two-story Airbus plane? Its landing gear was made in Oakville, Ontario. I've been in the plant and the main landing gear was as high as a three-story building. The legs of the landing gear were forged in Burlington, Ontario. In Hamilton, Ontario railroad tank cars are built at Canadian Steel Car just adjacent to the steel plants there. Procor makes rail cars too in Burlington. Then there are food plants. I've inspected the boilers just this week in a Unilever plant in Toronto. Served by rail, by the way. Their product? Hellman's mayonaisse. There are plants that make gravies, sauces, ravioli, sausages, you name it. What is that but industry? Near Windsor, Ontario are any number of tool & die makers supplying parts to the auto industy and damn near every one has help wanted signs on their lawns. They also offer good wages, too. I've asked. I used to go to Michigan every July for a big classic car show in Plymouth. Everywhere around are car plants, contractors and sub-contractors. It sure isn't just Detroit or Dearborn but the car business covers the whole state. Manufacturing is here; but you have to look harder for it.
Magna still has a few auto parts plants in east central Iowa. A couple have closed, but it seems 3 are still going. I had an uncle who was a truck driver for their trucking company. Auto parts east, steel and other supplies back to Iowa.
Of all the Magna plants I've been in most (except for heavy stamping plants) look like rather pleasant places to work. In the Toronto suburbs are industrial areas with single-storey buildings, one after another with grass front lawns and these house all kinds of industry. Industry for the most part has moved on from old multi-storey red brick buildings close to downtowns but there are still a few of them like the Lion brewery in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and the Heinz plant in Pittsburgh.
54light15In Hamilton, Ontario railroad tank cars are built at Canadian Steel Car just adjacent to the steel plants there. Procor makes rail cars too in Burlington.
NATIONAL Steel Car, not Canadian Steel Car. NSC builds rail cars of every type, including tank cars.
PROCOR no longer builds any cars and their production facility at Oakville is long closed. Only railcar maintenance is done there. All new railcar production is done by parent company Union Tank Car.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
Oh yeah, it's National Steel Car. During WW2 they built Hawker Hurricanes. I didn't know that about Procor, but I was by there less than a year ago and it is or was a busy plant.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.