Salt

[XG01X]

Salt which railroad carries the most and what do they carry it in/what type of covered hopper? Centerflows? 2 bay? 3 Bay?
thanks

[PNWRMNM]

Most is in bulk in covered hopper cars. Cars are probably about the size of grain cars, but depends on density and I do not have reference books handy.

Mac

[ericsp]

The Cargill hoppers I see are smaller than the grain hoppers. Also, I do not know the percent, but a large amount is shipped in bags in boxcars.

[CShaveRR]

The Cargill cars (two-bay, aluminum) are probably the proper size to handle a full-tonnage load of salt. It is transported in larger cars quite often, but I suspect that they aren't loaded to their maximum cubic capacity.

Bulk loads of salt are notoriously uncontrollable in our yard on damp days--something about the salt attracting the moisture, and if it's on the wheels at all the retarders don't touch 'em!

We also get the box cars with bagged salt--but the bulk is probably half again as common.

[tree68]

We get bulk salt shipments to a distributor here, in covered hoppers, but I haven't really looked at them all that closely in comparison to other hoppers.

[Junctionfan]

I would have to think that CSX does a tremendous amount of salt moves. I know of a Cargil Salt mine or at least facility in Cleveland and so a tremendous amount of those shorty 2 bay aluminum centerflows are used with CLSX reporting marks. Cargil Salt I believe still leases 3 bay centerflows(acfx) and pullman standard hoppers from PTLX and I think TLDX (green ones)

US Salt uses and has many 3 bay cylindrical hoppers and also uses 2 bay white
centerflow hoppers. Both have GWIX reporting marks.

There used to be a salt company called Stirling Salt and had grey cylindrical hoppers as well as centerflows, 3 bays but I don't know where they are (I think out west) and I don't know if they still exist or still have the cars (had SHPX reporting marks-SHPX 61078 ie)

There are plenty of others out there but thease are the ones I know of off hand.

[tatans]

Isn't there a massive salt industry around the Detroit--Windsor area?

[XG01X]

Great info! This helps alot
Guess i should watch out for those rainy days

[jsoderq]

Underneath the city of Detroit is a salt mine large enough to drive trucks around inside. Most of the Detroit area salt goes in lake freighters to other lake ports.