BNSF coal / ballast cars - solar panels?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

My office is in La Grange, IL and I look out my window on the BNSF mainline - triple track between Chicago and Eola. Yesterday, cars numbered BNSF 912200-912250 rolled by - new from a manufacturer in an odd redish tone that were coal / ballast cars with what seemed to be solar panels attached to the side of the car and wires running out of the panels to a control box. Any idea what kind of cars these were?

2

I saw a picture of these somewhere–they’re to provide power for radio-controlled dumping mechanisms on these ballast cars. I’m not sure whether the dumping would handled by an employee controlling it from a safe distance away, or by a GPS-based computer-controlled dump-in-motion system like Herzog’s, but either way, those panels are where the power comes from.

I suspect, though, that big panels on the car side like that will be prone to theft or vandalism.

3

Did they say “Herzog” on the side. That’s a RR MOW contractor that has a fleet of GPS controlled automated ballast cars…

4

Thanks for the reply.

No, these had no markings on them other than the car initial and number. BNSF pure all the way.

5

Thanks for your reply.

Makes perfect sense to me. As for the vandalism point, they might as well as put a BULLSEYE on the cars. The panels (two) are about 6’ x 6’ x 6’ (an estimate - probably bigger) and could easily be messed with.

6

I also can’t help but think these solar panels will get so very dirty in coal service they will be much less effective in providing power over time.

7

Carl:

The ballast cars are automated, can dump the cars by radio control or by GPS (Hint: There is a small CPU buried in that semi-permanently coupled consist)…The remote control GPS works great, EXCEPT when the operating people forget or go too fast through a work zone. Someone, somewhere could write a great story about the ups and downs of what evolved in the ballast train programs in the last ten years of development.

Jim:Why do you think the quarries pay a guy to clean the panels by hand at the beginning of every 5th run out of the ballast trains assigned loading quarry?

8

You probably saw the photo on Train Orders, as I posted a photo of them on there a week or so ago, on both the Eastern and Western Boards. They were going thru Pittsburgh, Pa at the time, on a CSX freight on their way to BNSF. They are Ballast Cars.