TOP GON

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Unloading slippery creosoted ties that weight 200 lbs. each and are almost as long as the car is wide, from a car with sides that high/ deep, etc. is a thoroughly miserable and dangerous job - unless it’s being done with a tie crane that rides on the top of the car, or a Burro crane with a chain sling, or similar ?

• Paul North.

[wabash1]

Most Top gons used through the NS St. louis to Princeton IN line use about ten of them a week to haul ties.

LOL How about per day.

[AgentKid]

I so want one of those ramps in my yard…

[(-D][tup]

AgentKid

[csxns]

Top Gons have been used on the Belmont coal train going to the Allen steam plant also.

[CShaveRR]

Geez, here’s a link to a webpage - ‘‘Norfolk Southern Top Gons’’ - that I found with more than I ever wanted to know about them. Carl - ‘‘Enter at your own risk !’’

http://www.krunk.org/~joeshaw/pics/ns/coal-gon/topgon.shtml

This data under the Special Cars and then the REBODY headings about 3/4 of the way down says that the 2 prototype Top Gon cars - NS 20000 and NS 20001, NS class G84R - were ‘rebodied’ in late 1990 / early 1991.

• Paul North.

Thanks, Paul! I just risked everything–now I’ll have to see whether we can add to this info. Maybe after I retire.

[bubbajustin]

Thanks all. I will have to pay closer attention to things. I bet I have saw them before. I just havn’t relised it.

Justin

[Dakguy201]

The only similar transfer facility in Chicago is Rail To Water Transfer at 100th Street and the Calumet River, which uses car shakers instead of a rotary dumper. All cars remain coupled and are pushed through the car shaker by a locomotive attached to the cut of cars.

Does any one have a picture of a car shaker? I’m having a difficult time understanding how such a piece of equipment functions. Is it merely a machine that insures a bottom dump gondola empties more completely?

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

And open top hoppers. A Google ‘Advanced Search’ for ‘‘car shaker’’ as an ‘exact wording or phrase’ plus ‘‘rail’’ as a required word yielded these results that should provide what you’re looking for, among others -

http://www.navco.us/hopper-car-unload-vibrators/overhed%20car%20shaker.html

http://electrolift.com/special-rail-car-shaker.php

EDIT - See also the bottom photo on this webpage - which looks like a pretty interesting website otherwise, too - http://www.glimpsesofmeridian.com/gom-7.html

Back in the day, it was often done by a gang of laborers with sledgehammers . . .

• Paul North.

[bubbajustin]

Looks like the apparatus fits over the car, and then a small electric motor on the frame then???

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

That’s right, except that one listed on this site - http://www.klingermachinery.com/railroad.htm - says it’s 5 tons and has a 20 HP electric motor. I bet that weighs a couple hundred pounds - so I’m not sure it could be called ‘small’ ? 'Course next to a 700 HP traction motor - yeah, that’s small. [;)]

• Paul North.