UP's new streamlined covered hoppers

[Loren Perry]

The shape of things to come; who's going to be the first to produce an N-scale version of the Union Pacific's new aerodynamically streamlined covered hoppers?

https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/aerodynamic-covered-hoppers-08-07-2018.htm

[160Carl]

So we could see carbody locomotives again....

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is such an interesting thing.

If I were a leasing company, would I spend extra to improve a railroads bottom line?

The micro economics and pricing of something like this will be really interesting to watch.

It's simple when it's a railroad owned unit train, but less so with genteel interchange cars (even if they're kept as a unit train).

Will railroads offer rebates to shippers who specify low drag cars? Will railroads offer incentives to leasers to use them?

[C855B]

FWIW, I have seen UP and KCS unit trains for large grain shippers (solid KCS trains of black with red/yellow accents with matching power are stunning!). There could be economies realized for entire trains of this, provided that the new car purchases are offsetting retired fleet. But you're right, "collector"-type grain trains with hoppers yanked out of storage for the season, not so much.

[Bulbous]

Here in Western Australia, our current fleet of CBH owned grain wagons seem to have the features from the UP article - skirting below the side sills and smooth roof line with longitudinal smooth hatch on top. See image below of the narrow gauge version (same general design as the standard gauge one, just lower and a bit shorter I believe):


These were delivered in 2012, for the start of haulage operations by Watco (CBH owned wagons and locomotives) in 2013. This general design has also been used on the east coast of Australia with their coal wagons, and even back to our 1976 built woodchip wagons in Western Australia as per the below link (pictures from the Australian Railway Detail Photos website):


Side View


With discharge doors open

Cheers,

Matt

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Australian railroads are so interesting. They're a real melting pot, like if European stuff started breeding with American stuff.

Very neat.