Does anyone know if PRR ever used these at C&P docks in Cleveland or Ashtabula? THe 1953 OREO lists many roads with HMA’s but not the PRR. If they did not use them, do you know why they used HM class hoppers like the Gla?
Why buy a specialized car that can only haul one commodity when you have a gazillion general purpose cars that will do the same thing.
Because the PRR moved vast carloads of coal to Lake Erie for boat transportation. Reusing those cars gave them a double revenue stream as the cars were loaded in both directions. Eventually the PRR did design some ore cars that were very unique. Stewart made them (now Bowser) and Walthers has them on sale with the PC logo. B&LE ore cars were regular visitors to the USX Fairless Hills plant between Philadelphia and Trenton. Venezuelan iron ore came in by ship at Fairless and was rail transported to the Pittsburgh mills on the PRR.
Keep in mind iron ore is much denser / heavier than coal, so coal hopper cars used to haul ore could only be filled about halfway to the top with ore.
About the time the twin hoppers were retired, PRR bought the ore gons. The SP also bought nearly identical cars, most of them now being used in sand/aggregate service in S. Texas.
Are you sure those SP ore gondolas are still around? I cannot find them in the ORER and they would be rather old by now.
http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-01.htm
http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-03.htm
http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-04.htm
http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-06.htm
dehusman,
Thanks for response. I suspected that, but could not find a source that said so.
CP&W
ndbprr,
Thanks for info. This is my first time in a forum and it seems to work rather well. I suspected the use of HM’s because of the two flows, ore south and coal north, but could not find a source that said so.
Terry Smith
Last fall I saw a train of them go thru College Station, TX, they were all repainted UP colors with CMO reporting marks. Either they were rebuilt SP cars or the UP bought a string of brand new gons for rock.
Do you remember if the CMO gondolas were in the 396000 series? If so, they look bigger than the SP cars.
I also see the National Steel Car logo on this photograph of CMO 396310.
Those CMO cars were built new by National Steel Car in early 2006. A friend of mine caught a couple of sets of them brand new shipping out from the plant in Hamilton, ON.