Freight Car Cornucopia - 06-30-2020
Here are a few recent finds plus a few not-so-recent.
1. Westvaco flat 23 at Hancock WV, on the old B&O. 05-14-1988.
2. WVCX flat 47 at Bells Valley VA, on the CSX North Mountain (old C&O Mountain SD). This car was built 1956. 05-11-1990.
3. WVCX flat 58 was built 1953. Presumably any pulp wood loaded here was sent to Covington when the yard was in operation. 05-11-1990.
4. Westvaco flat 70 at Clifton Forge VA, on 07-13-1985.
5. WVCX flat 512 at Doswell VA, on 05-07-1988.
6. WVCX flat 542 is obviously ex-RF&P. Doswell VA. 05-07-1988.
7. ARMN (UP/MP) mechanical reefer 110115 headed east out of Cumberland MD, on the local to Hagerstown. Mexico MD. 10-11-2019.
8. In the same train was CSX covered hopper 242976 most likely being used in the sand business. Mexico MD. 10-11-2019.
9. An empty GPS ballast train arrived Shelby eastbound in 12-08-2019 with these leased Herzog Contracting cars equipped for solar power. HZGX MWB 9437. Shelby KY.
10. HZGX MWB 9385. Shelby KY.
11. These trains can unload a lot of ballast in a hurry with location accuracy. HZGX MWB 8537. Shelby KY.
12. These cars are not identical. HZGX MWB 8821. Shelby KY.
13. HZGX HWB 6861 has a load limit of 190,000 lbs, a volume of 2,537 cubic feet and was built 06-1976. At Shelby KY on 02-23-2020.
14. Herzog is into all kinds of construction related businesses. Rail is only one division. Take a look at their website. HZGX MWB 6872. Shelby KY.
15. I saw a string of these go south one night on Q693 but couldn’t make out any details. A few days later they returned north (west) on Q693. I dashed down to Betsy Layne for a few shots. SHCX is the reporting mark for Shelly Company, a large aggregate/asphalt producer in Ohio. If they have quarries in central Ohio I don’t know why these cars of stone would be going north on 04-03-2020. SHCX hopper 54708. Betsy Layne KY.
16. These cars were built by National Steel Car at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and have a load limit of 230,600 and a volume of 2,400 cubic feet. Q693 leaving Shelby on 04-05-2020. SHCX hopper 54786. Shelby KY.
17. This end of the car has a ladder. They can be operated manually or pneumatically. I don’t know about the yellow dot. SHCX hopper 54777. Shelby KY.
18. SHCX hopper 55093. Shelby KY.
19. I beat Q693 back home and took a few more. I didn’t get the build date on any. SHCX hopper 54803. Pikeville KY.
20. SHCX hopper 54781. Pikeville KY. I haven’t seen them since!
All for now.
Train images used by permission of Everett N Young