Hello everyone;
Migrating to this forum, as it was recommended I try to contact Mr Mark Hemphill regarding my questions. Anyone else please feel free to jump in too 
Google, etc. hasn’t been very productive.
Anyway, I’m trying to find out what railroads/equipment serviced this area in the '80s. Mid-80’s preferably, but anytime is fine.
I.e., I know CNW did, but did UP, BN, and SP also at the same time ? And were hoppers used then, or coalporters ?
The BN was there first as the mining evolved from Gillette northward and southward. The BN used the line west from Lincoln, Alliance, Edgemont and Gillette to tap the mines. The C&NW had a couple of broken lines in the Rapid City, SD and Crawford, NE which did or could extend westward. BN realized a better access would be needed as the mines migrated southward adn volumes increased exponentially but were cautious about shouldering all the debt needed to build such a line. They approached the C&NW about partnering up to do the construction and an agreement was reached. The BN started construction and waited for the C&NW to jump in. The C&NW was cash strapped and had a very low credit rating with no coal revenues in hand to make payment on any new debt while they tried to raise their Dakota and Nebraska lines out of the mud to haul coal unit trains. BN finished the line and then told the C&NW to take a hike. The UP stepped in and offerred to take over from the C&NW. BN blinked and allowed the C&NW another chance which they financed and operated through a subsidiary called WRPI, Western Railroad Properties Inc. The UP suggested the C&NW use the existing UP lines from South Morril, NE to North Platte, NE which the UP would upgrade for coal traffic and so that is what happened. The C&NW got into the PRB but the UP got much of the revenues until the UP and C&NW merged.
The SP never did have a direct presence but participated in runthru trains where the loads from the PRB had a destination on the SP lines. Other roads that participated in such runthrus were C&NW, MILW, UP, KCS, MOP, MKT, SLSF and ATSF. Yes the Alliance fueling facility was a colorful place.
Early coal cars used by the three railroads were steel cars with bottom hopper pockets. Soon these cars came with rotary couplers on one end. The next evolution was rotary dump high side gondolas without a
Thanks, great info !
Arbfbe:
Great summary. has there been a book written about the history of the PRB coal and railroads?
ed
MP 173, I am not aware of any books on the subject. Bob Del Grosso covered some of it in one of his BN annuals from Great Northern Pacific press. I would have to dig around and see which issue it is. Trains has covered it a couple of times but more as to then current operations rather than a full historical perspective.
Mailman, If you live near a public library which subscribes to Railway Age Magazine you can browse the supplier ads for the car builders active in the 1970s and glean from the advertisements the types of cars used in coal service and watch the evolution of designs over time.
I’m glad you found the synopsis interesting.
Equipment: the last steel coal gondolas of a standard configuration were built in about 1983, so there would be plenty of steel gons around. Aluminum didn’t come into favor much until later in the 1980s (1985, or so). Companies like Detroit Edison were early converts. So your trendiest trains, when the line opened, would probably have steel Bethgons, or steel rapid-discharge hoppers. A few trains of the railroads involved (BN, CNW, UP) would have steel cars–BN had lost of standard coal gons and steel hoppers with rotary couplers at one end; CNW had acquired a bunch of green hoppers with yellow rotary ends, and UP had hoppers and “Bathtub” gons by the mid-1980s.
Trains had a feature article on the PRB so you may also want to contact them to secure a copy of that back issue
Part of the Powder River Basin story is mentioned in the book NORTHWESTERN published by Northern Illinois.
There have been a couple of videos produced on the subject, going back to the eighties.
Thanks again. Regarding a library, already checked that angle out. They have not one single item of any kind pertaining to real or model railroading. Which is kind of strange, as until it folded, the Soo Line had a large prescence here, and CP does know.
Excellent, thanks ! I’m leaning towards using bethgon coalporters, simply because they’re readily available in ten-packs vs. hoppers, etc.
I’ll do that, thanks !
[8D] I found this thread by a Google Search
Here’s what’s on e-bay
The new Coal Porter, is made by FreightCar America
The Walthers Trinity RD4 is detailed in .pdf
The Trinity Railcars page is here
And…don’t forget Al Krugs Home Pages!
“Coalporter” is an obsolete trade name of what is now FreightCar America. I’ve never in my years in the railroad business heard anyone use the term.
Common terminology for coal car types in my experience are:
Rotary dump gons (steel or aluminum)
Rapid discharge hoppers (steel or aluminum)
Cross hoppers or standard hoppers (almost always steel)
The term “cross hopper” comes from the gates running across the car, as opposed to parallel.
There are few, if any(?) steel cars being built now for coal, though that said it should be noted that only the body of the car is aluminum. Aluminum isn’t suitable for most other commodities as it’s too soft and too electrolytically active. The interesting tradeoff is between rapid-discharge and rotary, the economic choice between the higher transportation costs inherent in rapid-discharge, because of their higher tare (thus hauling less coal every trip) versus the higher costs to build a rotary dumper.
S. Hadid
I believe the Wheeling and Lake Erie got some new steel hoppers a year or so ago, and there are some GABX (General American) hoppers with steel bodies. Railway Age either mentioned or had advertisements for these cars (from Freight Car America). Next question: why?
I noticed those cars have covers on them. I have also seen them in regular freight trains. Does anyone know what these are used for?