Whiterock hoppers?

[Chris333]

About once a month I see a long train of yellow hoppers with Whiterock on the sides. They are 4 bay cars and appear to be loaded with gravel or ballast. They are parked next to the local steel mill, but they could just be passing through because that same area is a crew change point. I think the hoppers are coming from Ashtabula harbor.

Anyone have some info on these?

The train is parked there right now, but it is getting dark already.

Just curious (nosey) as to what is running through my town 

[SAH]

Take a look at this site Chris.  It's the G. O. Hawbaker Inc. company employee newsletter.  State College, PA.  Page 10 discusses the Whiterock quarry.  A possibility.

http://www.goh-inc.com/Newsletter/July2006.pdf

Steve

[Chris333]

That may be it. I found this as well:
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/White.Rock.Quarry.L.L.C.419-855-8388

On the way home from work the train was gone, so much for a photo op. 

[Chris333]

I think the quarry in State College is closed:
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34285




Edit: Seems driving at 50mph a read it wrong. It is Whitestone:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=871578
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=WSTX&cid=5
They all seem to be from the Ohio area.

Looks like this place bought them out:
http://www.lafarge-na.com/wps/portal/lna/home/About_Lafarge_Doc
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0198-139202/Lafarge-North-America-Inc-purchases.html
Lafarge has a plant right behind the blast furnace. Perhaps the hoppers went there.

[The Donkey]

Chris, I don't know if this is any help or sheds any light on things, but it appears that those cars
go through Alliance (OH) & there's an industry on the very west side of town along route 62 that
has this loco parked on a siding along the NS (ex PRR).
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=266867
(I agree with the photographer on the photo being hard to get-to get this they had to pull to the
side of 62, which is 4 lane 65 MPH.) I assume this is the same loco with a different scheme, for this
is how I saw it parked at the place above earlier this year as I was coming/going from Rob's Trains
LHS in Alliance.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=729937
There's a few more pics in the Alliance archive site. I have no idea if the trains originate there
or come there from somewhere else. I hope this is a help, but I don't get up that way very
often anymore.

[lv4142003]

A few summers ago, the SRNJ (Southern Railroad of New Jersey) was getting train loads of stone in and it was delivered in Whitestone hoppers. It looked like they were Ortner style cars, to me, but it could have been some other class. Did/do they have Ortner style cars? Joe Hueber <lv4142003>

[Chris333]

Mitch,

The line I saw these on is the NS that goes to the Sebring/Alliance area so they very well may be related. I can't remember if I ever saw a locomotive pulling these so I don't know if it was NS power or not.

I have been to Rob's and to the MRR station club many times years ago.

All the photos show 3 bays, but I could swear I saw 4 bays, but then again I though I saw WhiteRock...

[The Donkey]

The line I saw these on is the NS that goes to the Sebring/Alliance area so they very well may be related. I can't remember if I ever saw a locomotive pulling these so I don't know if it was NS power or not.

I have been to Rob's and to the MRR station club many times years ago.

All the photos show 3 bays, but I could swear I saw 4 bays, but then again I though I saw WhiteRock...

Chris, that's the very line. Myself I haven't seen the cars themselves, but that GE unit was still parked
there when I was up there last in July. I'm "guessing" they may move on the line that goes N to
Cleveland, since the other line comes through town here (Massillon) & I haven't seen them come through
yet.

Rob's is a great store-good folks. Excellent selection of detail parts. Currently starting work on an 86'
Athearn BB auto parts car I picked up there last time I was there. (Would rather have went with the
Walther's, but the BB is the only one that matches the proto I'm trying to replicate.)

Haven't been to their club layout yet, but hope to do so in the future.

[Chris333]

It has to be 15+ years since I was last at that club.  I had a (gulp) HO layout back then  with a few N scale items tucked away. I would take my Walther's SW-1 to the club and switch the yard all day.  ;D

Funny thing was there is a club here in Youngstown, but for what ever reason I drove all the way to Sebring. The drive got old quick.

I remember the station is ex PRR and was moved across the tracks to it's current location. I was cool, run trains and stop to run over to the baggage door and watch a real train go by.