I'm looking at putting a window manufacturer on my layout, and was curious about how crushed glass is transported. I've read that it is often moved in old open or covered hoppers. I'm assuming open hoppers would just be loaded with a payloader, but I'm not sure how the covered hoppers would be loaded. Thanks.
"Keep your stick on the ice" - Red Green
I use to live in Portland Or.
I passed a glass manufacturer every day on my way to work.
There were always several beat up gondolas on the siding. Sometimes ther were full of crushed glass.
I know they recycled glass there, but I have no idea what they made there, or how loading and unloading was accomplished.
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Years ago, there was a guy that did this in my town, simple set up, he had some type of crusher thing, that had an elevator, that dumped the crushed glass into open top hoppers. He had his set up along side the tracks at the local redi mix supplier. At that time, I didn't give the operation much attention, so I don't know any specifics.
He also had a storage bin, set up using the big concrete blocks that you see at a landscape supply yard.
Wish I'd a paid more attention. He was there about a year, than gone.
Mike.
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I don't think there are any window companies that make their own glass. Someone will certainly correct that if not true. Window glass is made by pouring molten glass on melted tin (pretty sure it is tin) so it cools perfectly flat. Mixed crushed glass would not be used from what I remember as it would color the glass. You may want to consider having two different glass industries.
If I may, it doesn't read like the OP is saying that the company would receive cullet, since he describes loading railcars. A window manufacturer is going to produce a lot of the stuff, either through glass damaged during shipment, production errors or accidents, defective or rejected product, and cut-offs. It isn't going to be a daily carload by any means though.
That's the rough idea. They would take about a car every other operating session or so, load it, and then switch cars.
2001 Model Railroad Planning, Serving West Virginia's glass industry.
See also: https://www.trains.com/mrr/beginners/ask-trains/modeling-a-glass-plant/
and:
Most of this information came from Henry Freeman’s article “A plug-and-play industry for your railroad,” published in the January 2003 Model Railroader. In that article, Henry goes into more detail about how a glass plant is designed, how it operates, and how the railroad would serve it.