I’m trying to get a handle on grain operations for my branchline. Here’s the scoop:
There will either be a feed mill or a collection elevator (trying to decide which one, and that’s part of the problem) at the end of the branch, which is located in a rural area of Texas. I am modeling the late 1970s/early 1980s.
From what I understand, a “collection elevator” is a small-ish facility to which local farmers and producers deliver grain, which is then loaded into hoppers and shipped out–I presume to larger collection points, or maybe Gulf ports (for Texas, anyway). For a branch line, most of the hoppers would be from the “home team” (in my case, Missouri Pacific). Hoppers from nearby roads (MKT, ATSF, etc.) would also show up. But what about those “private owner” hoppers, like those for Tabor (located in Illinois, I believe) and the like? Would those show up at a “collection elevator” like this?
The second part of my question revolves around traffic at a “feed and fertilizer” mill. My understanding is that grain is shipped INBOUND to these facilities for mixing, as is fertilizer and the like. Again, home road hoppers on a branch would predominate, with neighboring roads showing up occasionally. But what about those “private owner” hoppers again? Would it be more feasible for a hopper from, say, Tabor to show up at a feed mill? Or do those private owner hoppers pretty much shuttle back and forth between facilities owned by that company?
Last question: Are the two types of facilities (feed mill and collection elevator) ever mixed? That is, would it be possible to ship grain OUT while also shipping other types IN for mixing and processing? If so, seems like that would maximize traffic, and the types and roadnames seen on rolling stock.
By the late 1980’s the elevator would be pretty much out of business for the long haul export business unless it could generate 25 or 50 car increments towards a unit train.
How would they get there? Does the MKT or ATSF provide cars to the elevator for shipments made over those roads? Covered hoppers aren’t like boxcars, you just can’t load any handy covered hopper (with caveats below).
Assuming the elevator that ships outbound, the elevator would have to lease the cars from Tabor, or the MP would have to lease the cars from Tabor then use them like an MP car or the elevator would have to be owned by the same corporate body as Tabor, so they would “belong” to the elevator.
Having said all that, anything is possible and cars get waylayed. But the MKT and ATSF would not be happy with the MP if the MP used MKT/ATSF cars to protect MP only routings on loads. And Tabor wouldn’t be happy if they are paying leases on cars only to have the MP use the cars in some other part of the country.
Not an expert but a few observations from manyyears past; Superior, NE was served by branches from the ATSF and the BN (ex-CB&Q) and the large elevator there could play the “rate game” between the two. The elevator guys just called them “red cars” (ATSF) or “green cars” (BN trains) - they pulled and loaded what ever the manager had arranged for. All you need is a nearby interchange track. Back in the 70s-80s when I first moved to Waverly, NE it was common to see the various cars at the collection elevator there. Usually home road (BN and predecessors), but in busy seasons there would be leased cars present. In the early 80’s there were economic advantages (I think taxes, ICC rules,etc) for some Cooperatives or elevators to lease a number of cars for themselves. These are the source of the many cars labeled for Nebraska and Iowa elevators and elevators. Just in my local area there were cars (usually USLX) labeled for Waverly, Greenwood, and Mead and that’s just about a 15 mile radius from me. If an elevator was too small to have a switch engine of their own a large tractor might be used or, less commonly,a “car puller” (winch)
Various mills are always good traffic sources. In Lincoln, NE is a large flour mill that got lots of grain via rail and shipped in trucks and some flour went (still goes) oout in Airslide covered hoppers. Another large facility is an ADM soybean process plant. Entire trains of soybeans go in and soybean oil comes out in tank cars. They also built their own power plant and received supplies of coal by rail also.
So, yes the movement out of many collecting elevators has gone to trucks now, but there was still a lively business in the time period you mentioned.