hoppers

[Anonymous]

what kind of things can hoppers carry????

[Anonymous]

For starters, Coal

[dknelson]

Mostly coal although these days most coal is carried in cars that have solid bottoms so are technically gons, although they are often called hoppers incorrectly.
During severe car shortages hoppers have been used to haul grain. No longer but in years past. They can haul rock and even iron ore BUT in such service should NOT be filled to the top -- coal is lighter. In fact for ore service fairly tiny little piles, right over the trucks, would be the maximum loads.
One of the most interesting loads: the BN (CBQ) railroad tie plant in Galesburg Illinois used to get old ties shipped in worn out old coal service hoppers. Now that was an unusual open load!
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

Back in the early 1970's the grain elevator where I work received corn and soybeans in them.Sometimes the shipper would cover the top with a plastic tarp,stick rags in the bottom outlet gates.

[csxns]

Seen baled alunium cans and crossties also.

[Anonymous]

One of things to consider in your hopper loads is the weight of the material you are loading. Mentioned in one of the other replys, large hoppers are partialy loaded with the heavier material i.e. ore when the proper size hopper isn't available. When you see various sizes of hoppers in a train, they are most likely carrying various densities of material, i.e. a full load of iron ore material in the smaller cars and a full load of light coal in the larger hoppers. Large covered hoppers may contain lighter material that would probably blow out with the train movement such as plastic pellets or sterial material such as grain that cannot be subjected to the weather elements. Shorter covered hoppers may contain heavy material such as cement powder.

Ken, D&J Railroad, Stafford, VA

[Anonymous]

Back when I worked in the rail industry, some of the gates we fabricated were for use on closed hoppers that carried raw plastic pellets and fertilizer (not in the same cars) as well as some larger ones that carried wood chips.