What is a covered hopper car?

What is a covered hopper car?

A covered hopper is a self-clearing enclosed railroad freight car with fixed roof, sides, and ends with openings for loading through the roof and bottom openings for unloading. Covered hopper cars are designed for carrying dry bulk loads, varying from grain to products such as sand and clay.

What is the difference between a hopper car and a gondola car?

Hoppers are used to haul bulk freight such as coal, gravel, and grain; they have either several discharge hatches or a collapsible bottom for rapid unloading. Gondola cars have fixed bottoms and must be unloaded from above with the help of a crane; they are used to transport manufactured goods.

Why is it called a hopper car?

Etymology. The word “hopper”, meaning a “container with a narrow opening at bottom”, goes back to the thirteenth century, and is found in Chaucer’s story “The Reeve’s Tale” (written late fourteenth century) in reference to a machine for grinding grain into flour.

How are hopper cars unloaded?

Covered hoppers rely on gravity for unloading. Because covered hoppers have sloped floors with doors at the bottom, product flows through easily when the doors are opened. This method of unloading is referred to as the “sliding gate” or “self-clearing” method.

When were covered hoppers invented?

The first covered hopper is said to have appeared in the 1830s to haul, as mentioned above, grain and prevent its exposure from the elements. What is this? The car had open hatches on the roof as well as on the bottom for loading and removal.

How heavy is a hopper car?

Commodities: Corn, Wheat, Barley, Fertilizer, Soda Ash

Large Covered Hopper
Feature Attribute
Cubic Capacity Range from 4,600 to 5,200 cu. ft.
Gross Weight on Rail Range from 263,000 to 286,000 lbs.
Load Limit Range from 197,000 to 224,000 lbs.

How are hopper cars loaded?

Hopper railcars feature an open-top, where a product is loaded. After loading, the top is covered to protect the product while it is transported from destination to destination. The floor of a hopper railcar is sloped, allowing the product inside to be unloaded through doors at the bottom using gravity.

When did railroads start using covered hoppers?

Is being a hobo illegal?

You can go to jail if you get caught. Mostly they’ll give you a fine and charge you with criminal trespassing, but if it’s a train yard that’s had a lot of problems with hobos they might put you in jail for a couple days to send a message.

How are autorack cars loaded?

How Is the Autorack Loaded and Unloaded? Vehicles are loaded onto and off of auto racks by portable ramps, which allow vehicles to be driven onto or off the rail car. Keeping safety in mind, cars are loaded at a very slow speed to ensure they remain damage free.

What is a covered hopper?

A covered hopper is a self-clearing enclosed railroad freight car with fixed roof, sides, and ends with openings for loading through the roof and bottom openings for unloading. Covered hopper cars are designed for carrying dry bulk loads, varying from grain to products such as sand and clay. The cover protects the loads from the weather.

What is sill covered hopper car?

Through-center sill covered hopper car is optimized to transport cement, sand, or other high-density products. Features three round 30″ hatches and gravity outlet gates.

Why is dry cement not used in Hoppers?

Dry cement would be very hard to unload if mixed with water in transit, while grain would be likely to rot if exposed to rain. While hoppers had long been used to carry mined products like coal, ore, and gravel; boxcars were used for granular materials requiring protection from moisture until waterproof covers were devised for hopper cars.

Why choose our covered hopper railcars?

Our covered hopper railcars help protect dry bulk commodities from weather exposure while in transit. Our covered hoppers are perfect for hauling a variety of agricultural commodities. Depending on the railcar, there may be customizable interior linings, roof hatch configurations and outlet gates.