I’m probably not the only one that wonders things like this:
Our municipal water treatment plant has a spur that usually has 6-8 covered hoppers, and sometimes a tank car in it.
A mile away, Raven Industries, a hot air baloon maker, who also does a lot of plastics also has a spur. Typically, there are about a dozen covered hoppers there. That spur seems to get switched out every couple of days.
What type of freight would places like this normally this in by rail? Where, typically, would those items ship from?
my guess would be chemicals for water treatment…maybe even clean sand …the treatment plant in Lansing MI did have a spur off the GTW was unused until they took it out mid 90’s…but there are numerous tractor-trailers in and out everyday…[#dots]
Take a look at the placard on the tankcars at the water plant. The usual suspect is chlorine, 1017. It probably comes from Louisana or Texas, where it is made by electrolytically splitting salt brine. Louisiana has a lot of salt brine extracted from wells.
The covered hoppers probably contain plastic pellets. Those also probably come from Texas and/or Louisiana, but possibly Oklahoma or Indiana. Most of the plastic pellets in the U.S. come off the chemical coast because the primary feedstock is natural gas, and that’s where you find a huge supply without an equivalent size population to consume it, as well as the necessary manufacturing support and labor base. Theoretically you could build a PVC or styrene plant in Granger, Wyoming, but the labor isn’t available. Or the water.
A placard is a diamond shaped label on a hazardous shipment bearing a 4-digit ID number, a color, and in some cases a pattern and an icon. The ID number is assigned by the United Nations or US DOT.
Materials classified as hazardous include explosives, detonating agent, flammable gas, compressed gas, gases toxic by inhalation (TIH), corrosive gas, flammable liquid, combustible liquid, combustible material, material reactive with water, oxidizers, organic peroxides, toxic materials, infectious agents, radioactive material, corrosive material. Many things shipped in tankcars – and some in boxcars, containers, and covered hoppers – are classified as hazardous, but not all are. Examples of common commodities shipped in tankcars in large quantities that are not hazardous and thus don’t need placards are corn syrup, corn oil, soybean oil, animal fats, and brine.
Placards are applied by the shipper before the car is released to the railroad.
Placards, as well as a host of other information can be found in the ERG - Emergency Response Guide. You can download a copy of the PDF for your computer here.
Norris, I could vouch for the plastic pellets at the balloon factory, and chlorine in the tank cars at the water plant, but I’m curious about the covered hoppers at the water plant. Could you possibly lay a reporting mark and number on me? Even knowing the size of the car might be helpful in determining what it would carry.
I suppose filtering sand might have to be replenished, if that is used. There’s also a possibility that charcoal, in some form, might be needed.
I missed the covered hoppers at the water plant. Likely suspects are lime or limestone to raise pH, a flocculating agent to eliminate turbidity, or sand for filtration. Car numbers/types would help Carl and I know.
Probably not a possibility, based on track layout. The limestone idea is a possiblity, as there are some cars that will have white stains on them. If I’m that way, I’ll look for car numbers.
The red diamond shaped card is the placard…tank cars should have one on each end, and one on the sides at opposing corners.
Pull the number for Carl and RWM, they can tell you what is in the car.
Check the hoppers for placards, there is the slight possibility they also contain hazard material, although the placards will most likely be duct taped to the hoppers.
The balloon plant hoppers are almost certainly full of plastic pellets…we ship thousands of covered hoppers full of the stuff, one of Phillips, Dow and AutoFina’s major products.
In the bottom photo, you can just see the top of the placard, with the skull on it…I can’t remember what’s in that car, but it is a poison…
The water plant could be using isinuric acid, which is a binding compound usid in swiming pool purifiers, its purpose is to keep the chlorine from evaporating . its not a chemical that needs placards so it wont have any on the hopper. as for the plastic plant mostly plastic pellets.
Raven’s balloon business, although a leader among hot air balloon manufactuers, is a minor portion of their business. From their website:
“Our three core divisions are Engineered Films - makers of ultra thin and reinforced plastic sheeting, Electronic Systems - electronics manufacturing services, and Flow Controls - manufacturers of precision products for agriculture. We also provide manufacturing services and products through our Aerostar subsidiary.”
Those cars almost certainly contain plastic pellets as has been put forward already.
