Are there still some Airslide’ 40’ covered hoppers in service?
I’m not sure, but the local Holcim cement distributor usually has quite an assortment of covered hoppers sitting there, and alot of them are pretty short.
I’ve heard of 39’ Airslide covered hoppers. They’re being used to haul flour, starch, and other powdered commodities. I think it was in the 1970’s and/or 1980’s that sets of two cars were permanently coupled with a drawbar to improve on capacity (and lower freight rates for the increase in capacity). I know that from at least 1987 (and probably earlier) to 1999 or 2000, BN/BNSF had a contract to handle wheat flour between Midwest Grain Products’ Atchison, KS flour mill to its wheat gluten plant in Pekin, IL (P&PU delivery). BN-owned, two-unit, drawbarred airslide cars were used, as were conventional 54-ft. airslides. Pressure differential covered hoppers were mixed in as well for this move. Union Pacific snagged the contract c. 2000 and replaced the BN-owned cars with WREX covered hoppers like those seen here:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsPicture.aspx?id=32013
DPJ
We have them sitting all over the place out here, they deliver Frac Sand in them.
BNFAN is right and yes there still around saw some at evansville in.
I think of the short ones as 2600-cubic-foot cars; their overall length is just over 42 feet. They are getting rarer, for sure! Even the larger Airslide cars (4180 or 4566 cubic feet) are disappearing, primatily because the commodities they handled are better taken care of nowadays by much larger cars.
I don’t think a new Airslide car has been built in almost 20 years. Trinity Industries built the cars for a couple of years after General American quit building new cars, but quickly came up with their own “Power-Flow” design with increased capacity.
I saw 4 or more GATX on a CP transfer coming into CP Pigs Eye yard on Saturday Jan 14
Had several of them down here yeaterday…twenty of the semi-permanent draw bar dual units.
They came in hauling sand for a cement plant, went out empty on the BNSF Port/Tulsa train last night.
Dont remember the reporting marks, but do remember they were not one of the Class 1s…kind of an odd assortment of several different models, some quite old, some not so old and beat up.
Sorta a Heinz 57 mix!
Ed
SAW THREE [3] ON A CSX, GOING WEST THROUGH NEW ALBANY, IN., ON THE OLD MONON LINE. WEIRD TRAIN. ONE [1] U.P. LOCO, A HELM UNIT, AND A BNSF UNIT, ALL OLD SD40’S. THE AIRSLIDES, WERE WELL WORN, AS WAS PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE TRAIN. I GUESS CSX WAS CLEANING OUT THEIR YARD,IN LOUISVILLE, AND SENDING THE JUNK BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM.[2c][2c][sigh]
I live in Gaylord, Michigan and they are used to bring sand to extract natural gas and they are also used to transport Cement to a small town nearby called Elmira.
I have never heard of an Airslide car before. Was hoping someone might post a picture here of one. Can someone describe them and how I would identify one or what to look for. Is it possible I might see on up here in Ontario?
Sounds like the hopers are being used to carry heavier loads (the small volume fills before the weight limit is reached from flour or other bulky but light materials, but the low volume is good for sand, where a weight limit is reached before the volume limit is reached.)
http://www.railarc.com/imagefetch.cgi?filename=GACX-46857-boone_ia-[14-jul-2000]-000-800x600.jpg
(You may have to copy and paste this URL)
This shows a more modern version of the small Airslide covered hopper. The oldest ones were built in about 1954 or 1955, and are long gone.
there is a bunch of them in burlington nj drawbarred together i think they carry sugar reporting marks vflx they move in and out of pavonia yard on a regular basis
The GATX AIRSLIDE 2600 Cubic Foot Capacity 40’ Covered Hoppers in the Light Blue, Dark Blue, and Yellow GATX AIRSLIDE leasing scheme have occasionally rolled through on GTW/CN frieight trains in Michigan. About three years ago I saw a Golden Loaf Flour AIRSLIDE 40’ Covered Hopper headed east on the CN/GTW line in Michigan.
The AIRSLIDE 50’ Covered Hoppers still come through occasionally on CN Freight Trains.
Andrew