Were steam era fleets upgraded with side extensions? Seems to me that there would be a lot of wasted space in a load of taconite compared to natural ore.
I see what I think I'm looking for in quite a few pictures. But what I think is a later modifcation to increase the internal volume could be just how the cars I'm looking at, like some C&NW ore jennies to name some, were originally built.
Here's one, for instance, that I just located online.
Ore cars were rebuilt with side extensions for taconite pellet loading; the cars were not built that way originally. For example, CNW 2847 pictured was built in 1955; it has a CLN. 10-80 weigh date which may have been when the extensions were added. The CNW had a big program in the 1960s to convert cars for pellet loading but the cars were then renumbered. Here ther car retained its original number.
Kurt Hayek
Leo_AmesWere steam era fleets upgraded with side extensions? Seems to me that there would be a lot of wasted space in a load of taconite compared to natural ore. I see what I think I'm looking for in quite a few pictures. But what I think is a later modifcation to increase the internal volume could be just how the cars I'm looking at, like some C&NW ore jennies to name some, were originally built. Here's one, for instance, that I just located online.
Coupler, drawhead and the entire end of the car facing the camera appear to have been used and abused.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Taconite pellets have clay binder mixed with the iron ore concentrate and are lighter than natural ore.
The first pellet plants were built in the mid-fifties, so here was not much overlap with the steam era. I looked thru my copy of Lake Superior Iron Ore Railroads by Dorin, and did not see any steam era photos with ore car extensions. All the photos of ore cars with extensions explained they were for pellet service.
MidlandMike Taconite pellets have clay binder mixed with the iron ore concentrate and are lighter than natural ore. The first pellet plants were built in the mid-fifties, so here was not much overlap with the steam era. I looked thru my copy of Lake Superior Iron Ore Railroads by Dorin, and did not see any steam era photos with ore car extensions. All the photos of ore cars with extensions explained they were for pellet service.
Correct that none of the Ore Cars with extensions were hauled by steam, however none of the cars with extensions were built that way. All of the Ore Cars with extensions used by the Missabe were built before 1954 and so were hauled by steam locomotives for at least five years and most likely six years and then received the extensions later.
beaulieu MidlandMike Taconite pellets have clay binder mixed with the iron ore concentrate and are lighter than natural ore. The first pellet plants were built in the mid-fifties, so here was not much overlap with the steam era. I looked thru my copy of Lake Superior Iron Ore Railroads by Dorin, and did not see any steam era photos with ore car extensions. All the photos of ore cars with extensions explained they were for pellet service. Correct that none of the Ore Cars with extensions were hauled by steam, however none of the cars with extensions were built that way. All of the Ore Cars with extensions used by the Missabe were built before 1954 and so were hauled by steam locomotives for at least five years and most likely six years and then received the extensions later.
Yes, I understood that extensions were addd later to existing cars. Dorin goes on to show that other ore carriers were still ordering ore jennys with volumes appropriate for natural ores thru the rest of the 50s. (It took a little time for pelletization to catch on.) Eventually, new ore cars were built specifically for pellet service. The first Minnesota pellet plant was constructed on a harbor off Lake Superior. The natural ores were hauled by rail (Reserve Mining) to the plant, and then the pellets were loaded directly onto the boat.
Here are a couple of LS&I ore cars. One is an ore jenny with extension, and the other was purpose-built for pellet service.
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