Up until the 70’s feldspar was shipped out of the Black Hills in S.D from at least 3 different sites on the CBQ line. As I recall, fledspar is a kind of gray rock, with sparkles in it. What is feldspar used for, that it would have been shipped in carload quanties?
It looks like it is used in the production of porcelain and glass. Plumbing fixtures manufacturers such as American Standard and Crane would be big users.
If memory serves me right, there used to be a feldspar shipper on the Washington Branch of the Georgia Railroad.
Jay
It’s also used as an abrasive. As in “Bon Ami” cleanser.
Tsk!!
And here I thought all along that it was a form of martial arts practiced in the Swiss Alps.
Sheesh… [D)]
Feldspar is a flux used in manufacture of glass and ceramics. It’s alumina content also improves the hardness, corrosion resistance, and breakage resistance of glass.
About 2/3rds of the 1.2 million tons of U.S. feldspar consumption goes into glass; the remainder into ceramics (insulators, tile, plumbing fixtures) and into other uses such as a filler and extender in paints, plastics, and rubber. About half of U.S. domestic production comes from North Carolina, the remainder from Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Georgia, Idaho, and South Dakota. About one-third of U.S. supply comes from Canada, from two mines in Ontario.
RWM