So I was driving by an industrial park today when i noticed a bright Blue car on a small switching siding, upon further inspection it was a GATX Airslide Hopper! What are those things still doin around in this day and age? I thought they died out in the mid80s?
It depends on the railroad and the industries served. I had seen them on the CN/GTW mainline in great numbers until 2010. Now there are more pressure-differential covered hoppers and Carbon Black Hoppers.
I have taken as many photos as possible.
Andrew
The jumbo pd cars have now become the bulk loading for flour and other bulk products. There are very few small airslides left. Jumbos are still around but they are also thinning out as those cars are nearing the retirement age of 40. By 2020, airslide cars will be a thing of the past.
Small hoppers are stil needed to move heavy products such as cement. The jumbo’s would max out on weight before they filledup with cement.
Airslide cars were always at a price and volume disadvantage over pressure-differential cars. The linings and special material inside an Airslide car would be ruined if they were used for things such as cement or sand. The newest Airslide cars had a volume of 4895 or 4900 cubic feet, when they were built by Trinity Industries in the mid-1980s. At that time, competitors’ PD cars for the same commodities were in the 5200-cubic-foot range.
A bunch of former Norfolk Southern Airslide cars have been rebuilt into gondolas (flat bottoms, no roof) for the transportation of garbage, scrap, dirt, or whatever. One would never know where the gons came from until one looked at the ends.
I still see them everyday, as they’re often used as the buffer car on ethanol trains.[:-^]
it was a bright Blue GATX Airslide, it was parked at an industrial park in Chattanooga.
Possibly loaded with cement…
I just recently saw a photo of a BNSF Airslide car repainted and renumbered for “Buffer service only.”
They can still be seen daily around Neenah, WI on CN. I didn’t know they were becoming scarce.
Whose cars are you seeing, Dan? I’ve seen some Airslides between Proviso and Wisconsin (forgot where they go on the “other side”) that have been downgraded to fly ash service (GACX, usually), and they’ll probably be used in that service until they reach retirement age…they aren’t good for anything else any more.
I should clarify a statement I made earlier. It’s NS that has the fleet of about 170 high-side gondolas rebuilt from Airslide cars. Those cars (NS 202000-202170) originated with cars owned by NS and predecessors, UP and predecessors, and PLM International.
Carl,
Next chance I get to photograph some, I will & repost them here. I know some go to Jack’s Pizza & another bakery online w/CN.
Ill see them in groups on the NS Lafayette District from time to time.
Will anybody be able to get some examples of GATX AIRSLIDE Covered Hoppers into railroad museum and historical society collections, before they are all scrapped?
Andrew
I know a few customers that get sugar in airslide hoppers every now and then, also flour is shipped in these.
Jim
saw some recently near becker mn on oil trains out of the dakota’s. sometimes 2 per train when they have a pusher engine on the back. I remember seeing these cars all the time in the late 80’s when I live near a sugar beet plant in crookston mn.