Mysterious hoppers.....

[JANGAJONGA]

yesterday on B34 there were a bunch of really old and beat up hoppers that were heading WB.....does anyone know of any customers that would recieve hoppers on the michigan line?

[CharlieX90]

The ERIE L ones?

[JANGAJONGA]

yea. i have never seen those before.

[tazer]

Today at Albion I caught the last ten or so cars of the NS B90 with the 5106 ( I listened on the scanner when I got home) I was about a city block away when it cleared the crossing all I saw was covered hoppers and from the sound of the radio chatter they were working at the Andersons
Grain Train ?

[GAP]

NS has used old former Erie-Lackawanna hoppers to deliver ballast back when they came to Kalamazoo. Your description sounds like the cars I've seen so maybe they were bringing ballast somewhere.

[esprrfan]

NS has used old former Erie-Lackawanna hoppers to deliver ballast back when they came to Kalamazoo. Your description sounds like the cars I've seen so maybe they were bringing ballast somewhere.

You got it, see them in Airline yard often and are about a dozen at Burns Harbor right now too. As for those covered hoppers on the B34 they went to a few places.

[railohio]

There were a bunch in Edgerton on the Chicago Line earlier in the summer.

[AARR]

NS has used old former Erie-Lackawanna hoppers to deliver ballast back when they came to Kalamazoo. Your description sounds like the cars I've seen so maybe they were bringing ballast somewhere.

You got it, see them in Airline yard often and are about a dozen at Burns Harbor right now too. As for those covered hoppers on the B34 they went to a few places.

Ballast in covered hoppers? I thought they only used open top hoppers? Wow, learned something new I just did

[CharlieX90]

NS has used old former Erie-Lackawanna hoppers to deliver ballast back when they came to Kalamazoo. Your description sounds like the cars I've seen so maybe they were bringing ballast somewhere.

You got it, see them in Airline yard often and are about a dozen at Burns Harbor right now too. As for those covered hoppers on the B34 they went to a few places.

Ballast in covered hoppers? I thought they only used open top hoppers? Wow, learned something new I just did

I think there talking about 2 different hoppers Don.the ERIE L opens and the covered hoppers..the eries are for ballast and i have no idea where all the covered went...yes we have to protect the ballast from the element on the covered hoppers

[AARR]

I think there talking about 2 different hoppers Don.the ERIE L opens and the covered hoppers..the eries are for ballast and i have no idea where all the covered went...yes we have to protect the ballast from the element on the covered hoppers

Seemed odd that ballast would have to be protected but then again railroads have some practises that I don't understand Covered hopper traffic in grain cars around Jackson includes elevators in Albion, Leslie, and Mason. A mill in Augusta. A fiberglass plant in Albion that could receive cullet in old dumpy covered hoppers. There's a elevator and mill around Chelsea but the mill in Chelsea usually gets the newest and best looking covered hoppers

[CharlieX90]

there were alot of gray up hoppers and burgundy GATX hoppers... so most likely one of the places you mentioned gets them...

[JANGAJONGA]

jiffy mix gets the GATX hoppers and 4 mile gets the rib sidded CH.

[CAT345C]

I think there talking about 2 different hoppers Don.the ERIE L opens and the covered hoppers..the eries are for ballast and i have no idea where all the covered went...yes we have to protect the ballast from the element on the covered hoppers

Seemed odd that ballast would have to be protected but then again railroads have some practises that I don't understand Covered hopper traffic in grain cars around Jackson includes elevators in Albion, Leslie, and Mason. A mill in Augusta. A fiberglass plant in Albion that could receive cullet in old dumpy covered hoppers. There's a elevator and mill around Chelsea but the mill in Chelsea usually gets the newest and best looking covered hoppers

Go find MQT rails new ballast car, its basically a centerflow modified to dump ballast. I should have a photo somewhere of it. I believe Kawulchuck helped make it.

[Raildudes dad]

I was out in Iowa at the Boon & Scenic Rwy a number of years ago and the UP had some ex CNW MOW ballast hoppers in the yard there with sliding fabric tarps like the gravel trucks in MI. It was explained that in the fall when regular ballasting was done, the cars would be loaded and covered. Then if MOW needed ballast during the winter, they didn't have to fight frozen ballast in a pile or in the cars.

[hoborich]

The fibreglass plant in Albion gets sand, in some really old beat up covered hoppers. I caught the local switching them last summer.

[AARR]

The fibreglass plant in Albion gets sand, in some really old beat up covered hoppers. I caught the local switching them last summer.

I've heard they also get cullet and something in box cars. Can't confirm either, though.

[PriorrightsConrail]

To clear up the question(s) posted here, here are the correct answers. The former EL OPEN TOP hoppers in question were stone cars for ballast. The NS is putting some much needed stone down in various places along the Michigan Line territories. All of the track maintenance for the Michigan Line from BO tower to Town Line, the Lansing Secondary, the Albion Industrial and the Northern Industrial is based out of Jackson. Anyway, back to my point. The covered hopper question is rather broad as we handle more covered hoppers in these parts than anything else. Occasionally steel coils, too but not recently. These are the locations and commodities for covered hoppers between Town Line and BO Tower.

Chelsea Grain, AKA Four Mile Lake: empty covered grain hoppers, typically ratty old rib-sides but occasionally round ones work their way in there too.

Chelsea Milling, AKA Jiffy: empty GACX hoppers for outbound flower and BNSF loads of sugar inbound. The GACX cars are a dedicated fleet leased to Chelsea Milling.

Way Baking, AKA Aunt Millie's or Schaefer Bakeries: loaded flour cars.

Dawn Foods: Loads of flour.

MacSteel: empty rib-side hoppers with a placard for outbound electric-arc furnace dust. A byproduct of steel manufacturing.

The elevators in both Leslie and Mason are currently not getting any cars. But Quality Dairy in Lansing still gets the occasional load of plastic pellets in for milk jugs or some crap.

In Albion we have three customers who receive a variety of commodities in covered hoppers.

Guardian Industries: loads of sand, soda ash and soap. These are all used in the process of fiberglass manufacturing.

American Colloid: loads of foundry clay. They in turn mix it with coal and ship it out by truck. These are the DME hoppers along with various other CSXT and private company reporting marks.

Andersons: empty grain hoppers for spent grain from the ethanol process. Basically high quality cattle feed. They do not recieve unit grain trains any more as all the grain received is used for the ethanol plant now.

Battle Creek is hands down the covere hopper mecca.

Post: loads of sugar, rice, wheat and gelatin.

Ralston: we do not switch them often but when we do they get loads of who knows what. It has been a long time since I was in there.

Augusta.

Knappen Milling: loads AND empties both in and out. Grain in flour out basically.

There, I hope this clears up any questions anyone may have had.

If you want to know what is really happening on the Michigan Line feel free to ask. I have worked here for over 11 years and can clear up any myths, rumors, etc.

[tazer]

Is there any new rumors that the NS will sell off the Lansing branch just as they did the Kalamazoo branch to Watco
Just curious if you heard anything lately.

[Buster Manning]

It looks like Kellogs' inbound traffic has picked up as I see LOTS of BNSF and UP family covered hoppers being moved--some days it looks like there are at least 10 cars a day that are waiting on the track that NS picks up from.

[AARR]

There, I hope this clears up any questions anyone may have had.

If you want to know what is really happening on the Michigan Line feel free to ask. I have worked here for over 11 years and can clear up any myths, rumors, etc.

Thanks PRCR! How about plastic pellets for the siding plant in Jackson or did I miss it on your list?