Question about Covered Hoppers

[One of One-Sixty]

So I want to build an ice cream factory and settled on that it will receive deliveries of sugar (covered hoppers) and corn syrup (tank cars) by rail.  I noticed that there are multiple variants for covered hoppers based on the number of bays.

Is it normal for multiple types of hoppers with the same commodity to be used at the same industry?

What manufacturers should I be looking at?

Asking so I can start purchasing the cars I need and not get something that I won't need.

[lock4244]

Sugar is pretty dense, so generally you'd not expect to find it moving in jumbo four bay covered hoppers. But it's really dependent on the operation. For example, at the end of it's direct rail service, Red Path sugar in Toronto would load Tate & Lyle marked three bay covered hoppers in the 5000 cuft range, which if loaded to cubic capacity would exceed the weight limit of the cars. Lantic Sugar in Mississauga (Toronto suburb) had a fleet of second hand cylindrical covered hoppers they used, and these were four bay cars in the 4550 cuft range. Again, loaded to 4550 cuft they'd likely exceed the cars load limit. In both cases they'd only fill the cars up to their weight limit, so they'd appear to be only partially full, but in reality were 'tared out'.

I know that in years past CP would mark a line on the exterior of their cylindrical cars labelled 'Cement' denoting the fill height of the denser commodity.

Technically you could use any covered hopper you want for sugar (possibly not airslides or pressure differential cars).

Some covered hoppers that would work as a car for sugar:
The BLMA / Atlas dry flow 3500 cuft
Atlas PS-4000
Atlas 3230 cuft
Athearn 2600 cuft
Athearn 2893 cuft
Athearn 2970 cuft
Athearn 4600 cuft
Intermountain 4550 cuft
Intermountain 4650 cuft
Micro Trains two and three bay covered hoppers
Prairie Shadows 3800 cuft

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh man, so welcome to the world of "the more you know, the harder it gets".

There is an entire world of covered hoppers out there, from the jumbo ones used to haul relatively light plastic pellets to the two bays that are used for things like sand and cement.

In addition to capacity, there are variations in loading hatches and, more importantly, outlet gates.

You find the right cars you'll need ones that have the right capacity, right loading hatches, and right outlet gates.

The hatches are easy: there are two styles, the grain "trough" style and the round "chemical" style. I believe for sugar you'll want the latter.

As for unloading gates, I THINK you'll want pneumatic ones as opposed to the plain ones.

And as for capacity, I think you want fairly medium cars.

But much of this also depends on eras and the needs of the plant.

I don't have an answer immediately, but hopefully these can help you get started down the right research path.

BTW, it's great to have you back!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ooh, this looks useful: https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/293951.aspx

[GN63]

When I was working in Cicero on the BN in the mid 70s, there was a sugar plant served by us - I remember lots of two bay ACF covered hoppers being spotted there - both BN and CBQ reporting marks - I suppose there were also PS C4s, but I don't recall them https://www.rr-fallenflags.org/cbq/cbq184185ajs.jpg

[samusi01]

For the beet plant on my layout, raw sugar goes out in bags, in boxcars, or else in air slide hoppers. Of the historical train reports I’ve seen, the covered hoppers headed into the plant - 20 of them in the data I have - 19 were airslode and the last a short two bay. This was late 1960s.

Unfortunately I don’t model anything to do with corn or corn syrup so no idea.

[Tom L]

Here’s an eye catching little number. Not sure the dates of the photos, but maybe mid/late 1950s on the color one?

[ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Tom L
Wellington CO

[nickelplate759]

certainly the 1-bay Airslide hoppers were used for sugar -  they first appeared in the mid-1950s.

[bbussey]

Definitely 1-bay 2600 cuft Airslide hoppers (Athearn, Atlas) could used for sugar, as there were a number of sugar companies that leased Airslides in the 1950s/1960s. The Dry Flo hopper (Atlas ex-BLMA), pictured above decorated for Domino, also would work in the 1960s/1970s. And 3-bay PS-2 covered hoppers from the 1960s/1970s (Athearn, Atlas) were used in sugar service.

[squirrelhunter]

You probably want hoppers are unloaded using pressuized air- cars like the Athearn 1 bay arislides, the Atlas or MTL 2 bay airslides, the Atlas Dry Flo cars or the Atlas ACF PD hoppers. I think some hoppers like the PS 4427 and ACF 4600/4650 series were also loaded with sugar too, but I don't think they were anywhere near as common as the Airslide/Dry Flo/PD cars.

One thing to remeber is that nearby or as part of the plant they will also be getting plastic pellets and carboard for packaging materials. Use Google Maps to look at the Blue Bell Ice Cream complex in Brenham TX.

[mu26aeh]

Someone posts a lot of photos on a FB group of hoppers going to a sugar refinery and they are almost exclusively 5161 type 3 bay covered hoppers. 

What time frame are you modeling ?  That would help nail down your car type

[One of One-Sixty]

Thanks it's good to be back.

Thanks for the links, and the info.  I had gone deep down the rabbit hole just trying to figure out what kinda commodities a ice cream factory would receive by rail.    The only company I could find was Blue Bell ice cream, but whatever goods they receive is hard to tell as the tracks enter into the building.

What's worse is the company I want to model Breyers in SW Philly never had rail deliveries.

So I had to settle on something.   The tank cars was easy, but the covered hoppers was mind blowing. Still trying to figure out how I'm gonna unload them, so further down the rabbit hole I will go.  Lol

[One of One-Sixty]

One thing to remeber is that nearby or as part of the plant they will also be getting plastic pellets and carboard for packaging materials. Use Google Maps to look at the Blue Bell Ice Cream complex in Brenham TX.

Yeah that was the only ice cream plant I could find that was serviced by rail, although their other plant looked like it might have been served by rail on a branch line, but was hard to tell if they actually got anything by rail. Ironically enough I had looked up all 3 if their plants, Turkey Hill, Nestlé and a few others.

Someone posts a lot of photos on a FB group of hoppers going to a sugar refinery and they are almost exclusively 5161 type 3 bay covered hoppers. 

What time frame are you modeling ?  That would help nail down your car type

Looking at 2000s-present

[milw156]

Bloomer Chocolate factory by the CNW station in Chicago frequently has BNSF 2 bay airslides and 3 bay ACF covered hoppers on the siding off the elevated commuter tracks. it also has a tank car unloading spot at street level
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.889555,-87.6432289,131m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

[draskouasshat]

Here’s an eye catching little number. Not sure the dates of the photos, but maybe mid/late 1950s on the color one?

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

Tom L
Wellington CO

im liking that car. does anyone know a builder for it?