Hello all. I could not find this in any of the threads. Anyhow, does anybody know if coke is transported in trinity hoppers? Any other info would be helpful too.
Thanks
I have never seen coke in hopper cars built by Trinity, but I do not see why it could not happen.
Fuel not Coca Cola
Never say never but! What cars are used to transport any commodity will be based on two factors primarily. What brand cars does the company own that is shipping it. What specification the shipper or receiver place on car selection. Coke really isn’t a shipped commodity to any great extent to the best of my knowledge. I know Bethlehem used to ship coke and I suspect they used Bethlehem car company cars. Coke is lighter than coal so a larger volume can be carried hence the built up sides. There are benefits to shipping metalurgical coal to an integrated mill that has a coke battery as the off gasses and by products can be used internally or sold as a revenue stream and there really isn’t much use to reduce it where there isn’t a need. Any steel mill without a blast furnace is not going to use coke. Raw steel production from iron ore has been declining for years as sufficient steel scrap exists to use other methods and cheaper ways of recycling it into product. Coke oven batteries become super fund clean up sites once they are shut down. Over 26 carcenogenic compounds are produced during coke making and they invariably contaminate the area directly around the battery. So the bottom line is if you know a railroad has Trinity hoppers and they do ship coke no reason why they couldn’t be used. A hopper is a hopper to a certain extent. If hoppers with side extensions were available or owned they would be the first choice but standard hoppers are an acceptable alternative if unavailable. If freelancing use whatever you want.