# modern hopper cars



## kkri49 (Mar 18, 2012)

Some modern hoppers are black with a red, yellow, or white end panel. On prototype roads, are these run in a particular direction?

kkri49


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

Is there a certain road name for these cars you see? NS, CSX ect?


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## kkri49 (Mar 18, 2012)

*Road Names*

Some are CNW, CN, and WP.


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

This is a good one :dunno: I got rained out today so I was looking around online. My guess is the colored panels are markings of the Rail Carrier and nothing more. CP just bought a lot of grain hoopers to insure demands are met. On that same note farmers were suing CP and CN for price gouging :laugh:
I never knew some of the cars are made from aluminum. There are a lot of good reads but nothing went to coding by color of anything. 

Maybe a Mod can move this to a better section so more will read it


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

The coloured panels indicate which end of the car has a rotary coupler. Rotary couplers allow gondola or hopper cars to be dumped in a large rotary dumper without uncoupling.

http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=aex16064&o=aex

A unit coal train that gets rotary dumped will have all the cars aligned so that a rotary coupler is always coupled to a standard coupler. Two standard couplers cannot be coupled together and sent through a rotary dumper. If you do, this happens:

http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2010/04/dumper.htm

If the cars are not running in a unit train that gets rotary dumped (some older coal gons have been downgraded to scrap service, and hoppers might be in rotary service, or bottom dump service. Coupler alignment only matters when in rotary dump service.)


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

Thanks Cv, great info :thumbsup: it sure helps looking up stuff using the proper terms.


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## kkri49 (Mar 18, 2012)

*Thanks*

Thanks. I learned something.


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## Canadian Car Knocker (Feb 8, 2011)

CV hit the ole nail on the head. Prob the most commonly miss marshaled cars in the system well rotarys and LPS next to loaded tankers. Yet another reason I never want to see those bloody things again.


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## steam chaser (Feb 21, 2011)

Thanks for the info,did not know this.


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## Blade3562 (Mar 13, 2012)

Still trying to figure out how they flipped the loco. That's loco weighs in at 390,000lbs I mean holy $#!+. Doesn't a hopper only weigh like 60tons tops? How does a rotary car work exactly may be a better way to start.

How I always arrange the car is brake wheel to the back for uniformity. Never actually looked though lol


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## Canadian Car Knocker (Feb 8, 2011)

Sums it up pretty well I'd say

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt8ffgVZbBY&feature=related


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I moved this to general discussion since it's not really about N-scale.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

And here's a functional HO Scale model in action. (Need to figure out where to get the rotary couplers or if they are home-made.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8_sJLmrgY&feature=related


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The rotary couplers are somewhat unique I would guess, I've never seen them advertised.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Blade3562 said:


> How I always arrange the car is brake wheel to the back for uniformity. Never actually looked though lol


What end the brakewheel is on makes no difference. Real railroads would never bother trying to make sure they point the same way since there's no benefit to it and that'd be a LOT of extra work to keep track of it and get them all turned. So there's no need to worry about that sort of facing.

The only time the facing direction of the car matters is if it has to be loaded/unloaded from a specific end or side or if a rotary coupler needs to be facing a certain way (generally only when in unit train service where the train will be rotary dumped without uncoupling).


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

I don't think I've ever seen any rotary version of a Kadee coupler, but I think Sergeant has one with a rotary mounting. (These are not Kadee-compatible)


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Yep....sergent has them for $5.00 for (3) couplers. Sounds like they do work with other couplers, but you have a rotary at only 1 end of the car and it requires 22" min radius because the rotary couplers don't swing side to side.

http://www.sergentengineering.com/


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## Southern (Nov 17, 2008)

That is one strong man!


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

I sure learned something new from this. Going back to the original question; is there a meaning or code behind the different colors? Thanks for moving the thread John :thumbsup:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Love these bits of RR trivia that come out. The rotary coal dumper is cool, but it takes a lot of space and you have to cut through the base of the layout as well.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Xnats said:


> I sure learned something new from this. Going back to the original question; is there a meaning or code behind the different colors? Thanks for moving the thread John :thumbsup:


No, the colour is unimportant, just that it contrasts with the body of the car.


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