AOCX (Alcoa) Hoppers

[ljudice]

In regards to the 2000 series cars:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=AOCX&aid=C113

What are these? 

These cars have been seen for YEARS on CR/NS/CSX in NJ - usually with old CRDX blue and white PS4750's and other cars - presumably going from an Aluminum oxide mine or import dock up to Quebec and a smelting facility.

[Robbman]

They're aluminum covered hoppers 

Seriously... we just discussed these on the MFCL... builder is as of yet undetermined.  They look like a cross between a Magor and a Greenville 4000...

[Bob Bufkin]

Speaking of hoppers, I received this e-mail concerning CSX hoppers:

In the past few weeks, CSX is bring out of storage a good amount of
standard 100 ton coal hoppers that were built in the early 1970's
including NYC (PC) 479xxx H43D class hoppers which haven't been seen in
years. Some of these cars have FRA extension marked on them. Also, some
"new" to CSX older black bathtub hoppers with stick on reporting marks
and numbers in the 378xxx series.

[Denver Road Doug]

The ribs on that car are very unprototypical....   

[ljudice]

I heard that almost the entire ex-Conrail rebuild fleet of coal porters is sidelined due to some sort of mechanical problem - like the tubs falling out - which is why CSX is badly short of hoppers.

[ljudice]

Re: AOCX - hmmm....   So a decent (or indecent) stand-in might be one of those PS4000...

[Robbman]

I heard that almost the entire ex-Conrail rebuild fleet of coal porters is sidelined due to some sort of mechanical problem - like the tubs falling out - which is why CSX is badly short of hoppers.

NS has pretty much all of theirs stored as well... they won't pass the inspection needed for life extension.

[Robbman]

Re: AOCX - hmmm....   So a decent (or indecent) stand-in might be one of those PS4000...

Yeah, but you'd have to heavily modify the roof... those cars have been modified several times over the years

[ljudice]

I saw that odd arrangement...  was it ever "standard"?  I am modelling 1993-5 here...

[ljudice]

To answer my own question:

Original arrangement:

http://drolsen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2049807

Sounds like they were a PS/Alcoa experiment?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I heard that almost the entire ex-Conrail rebuild fleet of coal porters is sidelined due to some sort of mechanical problem - like the tubs falling out - which is why CSX is badly short of hoppers.

NS has pretty much all of theirs stored as well... they won't pass the inspection needed for life extension.

It was one class, the G52X or the G52R. Apparently they have problems with the center sill cracking.

[TrainCat2]

I heard that almost the entire ex-Conrail rebuild fleet of coal porters is sidelined due to some sort of mechanical problem - like the tubs falling out - which is why CSX is badly short of hoppers.

NS has pretty much all of theirs stored as well... they won't pass the inspection needed for life extension.

It was one class, the G52X or the G52R. Apparently they have problems with the center sill cracking.

Wow . . . nothing worse than having a crack up your center sill.

Seriously, when did this happen? I had not heard about until this thread.

[ljudice]

First heard about it back in December or January...

[Robbman]

To answer my own question:

Original arrangement:

http://drolsen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2049807

Sounds like they were a PS/Alcoa experiment?

That was bandied about on the MFCL, but there's no record of it being P-S/Alcoa

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It's been a while, almost a year maybe?