Does anyone still have their April 2006 Trains magazine? I don’t keep mine that far back. I understand it included an article on Coors. I’m interested to know how in depth the article was and if it provides much info on the railroad operation at Golden, CO? Thanks, Rob
I recall that the article did not have many actual details of its operations except that it’s a unit train on a pretty much isolated jointed-rail line with custom-built tankers, two of which were lost to wrecks.
Oh, and the beer doesn’t create a foamy “head” in transit due to how the cars are filled with the beer. No real details were offered on that.
This is all from memory. I plan to procure the DVD collection this Christmas.
RDT: You are correct, the TRAINS article was a pretty complete coverage of the Coors Railroad Operations around the Brewery at Golden, Colo.
This link is to a pictorial record of the rail equipment used by Coors:
| “Coors Brewing Company Photographic Roster” | |
|---|---|
| Reporting Marks: CORX |
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locolist.aspx?id=CORX
[edit to add:]
[Not sure it still run but at the time of the article there was a sort of unit move from Golden Colo. to the Harrisonburg, Va.area; where the Coors Company maintained a packaging operation to supply the East Coast with Coors.
Since then the Company has changed hands, I do not know if the Virginia Packaging Operation still exists(?).
Yep - still there, expanded recently (2007), as follows from their website at: (have to enter your date of birth to show you’re of ‘legal age’ to consume before you can get to this page)
http://www.millercoors.com/who-we-are/locations.aspx#Elkton
"Elkton, Virginia
5135 S. Eastside Highway | Elkton, VA 22827
Nestled in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, the company’s Shenandoah Brewery has been called the world’s most modern. Following a $300 million build-out completed in 2007, the brewery’s 480 employees can produce 7 million barrels of great beer every year."
- Paul North.
The other side of rails at Coors is the arrival not only of grain but of coal as well. The “beer run” is operated by BNSF. I recall an article (but can’t find anything on it now) a few years ago in which Coors lauded their rail connection as a corporate asset, allowing them access to bulk goods at lower costs than trucking.
There’s a Budweiser brewery in Fort Collins. I haven’t checked to see if it has rail service.
The Coors Brewery sits in a valley just below the Colorado Railroad Museum - worth a visit, particularly when they’re running steam as they do several times a year.
One day back in 99 I had a Pickup at Golden from the Brewery for Chicago. Well load was late getting ready AKA the trailer with my empties was not there yet I found out later. So I went across the road to the Colorado RR Musuem. I had a blast there.
I think the “beer slurry” moves from Golden to VA stopped a couple years ago. I think the VA brewery does the whole job now.
The beer slurry tank cars ran in blocks, BNSF to NS over Kansas City. It was pretty hot traffic.
At one time they had as many as 200 of these cars. Around 2007 there were ads in the trades from various brokers looking to sell or lease them.
John Timm
Does anyone know if the rail service at Coors in Golden is performed by Coors employees or has it been contracted out to a swithicng operation?