TW FB. Insights 11 09 Over the last year, the roofing market has seen a major boom. Between new builds and roof replacements in both the commercial and residential markets, the need for shingles is at an all-time high. Modified bitumen, the material used for commercial roofing, saw a Insights 11 02 In , Honda released the first mass-produced hybrid-electric vehicle in the U.
Although that model, the Honda Insight, may not ring a bell, the Toyota Prius that was released a year later made its mark on the market. Since then, both hybrid and all-electric vehicles are no longer a novelty — and the market is growing.
Tips 10 26 Have you ever wondered how large, heavy freight like military tanks, tractors or wind turbines ship by rail? While big, unwieldy items like these may seem tough to handle, railroads can find a way.
When you think of a gondola, do you start daydreaming about a leisurely boat ride on a Venetian canal? While aptly named for their shallow boat-like shape, in the world of freight transportation, a gondola means something quite different. Gondola rail cars are used to transport rugged, unfinished commodities used in construction and manufacturing. In fact, rail plays a major role in transporting the products that keep America moving, like sand, gravel, scrap metal, steel and other raw materials used to build roads, machinery, skyscrapers, shopping centers and much more.
For an in-depth look at everything you need to know about gondola rail cars and how they safely transport a wide variety of materials, read on. Rail cars can carry just about anything: cars, clothes, lumber, liquor, food, fertilizer, grains, gas and so much more. And they can hold a lot of those products, on average carrying truckloads per rail car. So while there is no doubt that you can ship just about any type of freight by rail, the question becomes this: How do those products get into and out of rail cars?
The answer depends on what product you are shipping and in which type of rail car. Unless you are in the construction or the manufacturing industry, you may not give rolled or coiled metal sheets much thought. But coiled steel is used to make many of the products we use on a daily basis, including the cars we drive, the appliances in our homes and even the lockers we use at the gym or at school. Rail plays a big role in delivering coiled steel and other metal commodities along their journey to manufacturing plants to be made into final products ready for market.
Some railroads continued using the design as late as until most jimmies finally fell out of favor. As the hopper became larger so did the number of drop-bottom chutes it carried; from two, to three, and now today most carry four chutes more chutes allow for faster unloading times. The standard hopper found currently roaming the rails has come a long way, even from the USRA ton standardized car of the early 20th century.
Not only are the current cars capable of hauling tons but also many now have rotary couplings to literally spin the car degrees while still attached to the train.
This setup increases the speed at which the product can be removed from the car. Although, one then wonders why have drop-bottom chutes at all? Other variations include covered hoppers, which carry bulk products such as grain, lime, cement, and in some cases sand that must be protected from the weather while in transit. The history of this car can also trace its heritage back to the industry's early years. The first covered hopper is said to have appeared in the s to haul, as mentioned above, grain and prevent its exposure from the elements.
The car had open hatches on the roof as well as on the bottom for loading and removal. Surprisingly, though, railroads were slow to use the covered hopper for this particular purpose. Instead, ever-interested in redundancy they found the ubiquitous boxcar, capable of handling everything from cars to bundles of paper, could do the job just as well. Widespread use of the covered hopper for weather-sensitive products did not begin until after World War II, particularly during the s and s.
Today, aside from the freight already mentioned the car carries flour, plastic pellets, potash fertilizer , fishmeal, and soybeans.
It is widely used and one of the most common cars you will see moving within a train. Ore jennies are yet another type and these little cars get their size for a reason.
They are built specifically for hauling taconite pellets iron ore which are much more dense i. As such, they are much smaller but have a tonnage rating roughly that of a standard-sized hopper.
The history of the jenny can likely be traced to around the mids although as Mr. Schafer mentions in his book its widespread use did not begin until the end of that century when iron became commonly produced. Later, the production of much stronger steel continued the need for the mining of iron, an essential component of steel. In most ways the ore jenny is simply a miniature hopper, which could be found in service on many of the large Upper Midwest railroads which served mines in the region such as:.
Regardless of these changes the car will almost surely remain just as recognizable 50 years from now as it was 50 years ago; a platform capable of discharging a product quickly through bottom, angled chutes.
In a gentleman by the name of Andre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit every out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Alas, in the site closed. However, Don Strack rescued the data and transferred it over to his UtahRails.
Numerous hatch and interior coating options are available. Car Capacities:. Under 4, cf. These railcars typically range from 2, to 3, cf capacity and generally are designed with two or three pockets, gravity gates and three to five circular hatches.
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