Roll Call two bay open top hopper cars

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2610

Alex Huff wrote:

The green, two-bay hoppers marked SMRR are ex-Hallett cars. The Sisseton Milbank Railroad purchased them at the same time Dakota Southern bought the sisters, since scrapped. The Sisseton Milbank was recently purchased by its friendly connection, the Twin Cities & Western. The cars are not ex-MILW. My recollection, admittedly hazy, is the cars were originally NYC.
Alex Huff

While looking at the Ironhorse Railroad Park facebook page I discovered that three of these cars migrated there from the Sisseton Milbank Railroad/Twin Cities & Western in June of last year: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 2000149588

Thomas Cornillie · **Joined:** Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:19 pm **Posts:** 272

A recent loss is a Rock Island two-bay offset hopper that at Enterprise, KS on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad that was recently reduced in height, as reported on Trainorders.com at: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/ ... 11,5512387

This car was converted by the Rock Island to a covered hopper, and it retained its roof until the latest conversion.

An 2010 discussion of the car may be viewed here: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/ ... 11,2151445

Other photos of this car are available at:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=3758346

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=3056360

While the car is too far modified to be of use for historic interpretation (and the lack of a top-chord will limit its practical use as a ballast hopper) there might be an opportunity to salvage the doors, locking hardware, and frame components when the car is eventually scrapped.

Does anyone here know what service the car would have been assigned to as a covered hopper? The roof extension looks like it would be too tall for sand service.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6468

Thomas -

Thanks for the update. Sad to see the car modified that way and doubly sad that it was a Rock Island (Fallen Flag) car. Minus its later roof, it would have made a nice steam-era car for a museum's vintage freights.

This thread was started in 2008 and I wonder how many two bay open top hopper cars that were once included, have now been lost? Also wonder how many might have been lucky enough to have been added to a museum roster or some display site.

Les

Thomas Cornillie · **Joined:** Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:19 pm **Posts:** 272

Depending on how you define the steam-era, this car might have operated in revenue service with its hopper roof. After some digging, I found this report comparing methods for shipping rice. Page 8 has a photo of a hopper modified in a very similar way:

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ra ... =en&gbpv=0

Something to keep in mind with researching freight cars is that railroads were quite imaginative in finding ways of re purposing existing freight cars to meet their car service obligations. Knowing that story is helpful in developing a meaningful and interesting interpretive program.

Les Beckman wrote:

Thomas -

Thanks for the update. Sad to see the car modified that way and doubly sad that it was a Rock Island (Fallen Flag) car. Minus its later roof, it would have made a nice steam-era car for a museum's vintage freights.

This thread was started in 2008 and I wonder how many two bay open top hopper cars that were once included, have now been lost? Also wonder how many might have been lucky enough to have been added to a museum roster or some display site.

Les

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Fri Dec 30, 2022 8:07 pm

Came across this car the other day while doing other research, remembered to come back to it for posting here.

A 2-bay hopper now set up for ballast service (no clue on if built for such), and painted as PRR #257284 on the Walkersville Southern RR. But, apparently, it is in reality former WM #52782, which was in the Western Maryland Scenic collection until 2019. Photos to follow. Note, there is a comment on the first photo claiming that this car is not of actual WM heritage either.

On the WMSR as WM #52782, 10/16/2005, Matt Adams photo: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=242129

Being lifted for the move to Walkersville, 10/11/2019, David Larrabee photo: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5206183

Repainted as PRR #257284, 05/22/2021, David Larrabee photo: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5555422

B&O946 · **Joined:** Tue May 30, 2017 4:27 pm **Posts:** 19

The two Western Maryland hoppers at Walkersville are originally Pennsy PS-2 covered hoppers. They were modified at some point (during Conrail?) to become ballast hoppers. They will used as such on the WSRR and be used for photo freights.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6468

scottychaos wrote:

robertjohndavis wrote:

Scott,

It is at the John Murray retail coal dock, which I think is technically South Waverly, PA. You have to look for it.

It was used to haul coal from a truck dump up into the dock after the DL&W left town.

I was there in July and it is still there.

A fellow who used to live nearby swears to me there is another one up in the coal dock itself, but I kinda doubt that.

Rob

oh! that one..sure..
"Sayre" threw me off! ;)
since yes..technically its not in Sayre...

I have never heard anyone confirmed it was actually LV..I have looked it over, and there are no markings of any kind on it..(although I dont think I ever thought to check the trucks..)

is it known for a fact to be of LV heritage?

here are some pics of the car in question, along with its Coal dock:

The hopper is still used!
Coal is loaded into it, it is then pulled by the cable up into the structure,
(the cable is visible in the last photo)
and coal is then dispensed into trucks.

The facility was once served by rail..the DL&W mainline once passed right alongside it..but the DL&W tracks have been gone since the early 60's..

I believe the hopper has been there ever since..I have always assumed the hopper would likely be of Lackawanna origin..but it could be anything I suppose.

Scot

Greetings -

I just read on another website, that this old John H. Murray & Son retail wooden coal dock has been taken down. I recalled photos of the old 1900 structure here on this old "Roll Call two bay open top hopper car" thread and did a rather long search to find the entry. This was a very interesting structure from another era and sad to see it destroyed.

Les

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6468

Saw a recent photo on the Ahead of the Torch (AOTT) site, of what appears to be a two bay open top hopper car on a section of track in front of a depot, with torn up main line track located next to it. The track was in front of a depot, but no idea where! The story was about the abandonment of the York-Durham Heritage Railway. This particular hopper was mentioned by a gentleman named Jason Katerberg in a posting made by Rob Davis asking whether such a list as this particular thread here on RyPN (a "crowd-sourced list") should also appear on AOTT. I'm not on Facebook and not on the AOTT site, so can't reply. But Rob, if you might happen to read this, I would vote "YES"!

BTW, any info on that 2-bay open top hopper on the old York-Durham, would be of interest!

Les

70000 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 07, 2024 5:14 am

Les Beckman wrote:

Saw a recent photo on the Ahead of the Torch (AOTT) site, of what appears to be a two bay open top hopper car on a section of track in front of a depot, with torn up main line track located next to it. The track was in front of a depot, but no idea where! The story was about the abandonment of the York-Durham Heritage Railway. This particular hopper was mentioned by a gentleman named Jason Katerberg in a posting made by Rob Davis asking whether such a list as this particular thread here on RyPN (a "crowd-sourced list") should also appear on AOTT. I'm not on Facebook and not on the AOTT site, so can't reply. But Rob, if you might happen to read this, I would vote "YES"!

BTW, any info on that 2-bay open top hopper on the old York-Durham, would be of interest!

Les

I did see those photos on there, but I think a number of them were actually taken on the now abandoned Orangeville-Brampton Railway elsewhere in Ontario. I don't "do" FB either, so it won't let me go back that far through the postings on AOTT to check!

Only hopper I recall seeing on the Uxbridge line was a former GBW short MoW one that appears in the right hand side of this photo I took there...

Attachment:

r7-861.jpg [ 101.16 KiB | Viewed 49279 times ]

That was taken in 2007, which was the last time I visited the line, but I can't recall much in the way of other freight stock present there.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6468

70000 -

Thanks for the photo of Y-D Railway Alco # 3612 with the "short" ex-GB&W open hopper in the background. An interesting car, but not the one I saw in the photo. That was definitely an offset side car, which could have been either a two bay or three bay; I couldn't tell for sure from the photo angle. The car side was completely covered in graffiti. The passenger depot off to the side was definitely preserved and in very nice shape and the track on which the hopper was sitting, was next to the old concrete station platform.

Les

70000 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 07, 2024 3:12 pm

Les Beckman wrote:

70000 -

Thanks for the photo of Y-D Railway Alco # 3612 with the "short" ex-GB&W open hopper in the background. An interesting car, but not the one I saw in the photo. That was definitely an offset side car, which could have been either a two bay or three bay; I couldn't tell for sure from the photo angle. The car side was completely covered in graffiti. The passenger depot off to the side was definitely preserved and in very nice shape and the track on which the hopper was sitting, was next to the old concrete station platform.

Les

Out of curiosity, I did a search for "Uxbridge Station, Ontario" and this popped up as one of the images, with another lurking hopper car......

http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/the-y ... xpress-nee

...so they have (or had in 2013) a CN one there as well !

jayrod · **Posted:** Sun Jan 07, 2024 9:04 pm

CN 91268 appears to be a ballast hopper.

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6468

jayrod wrote:

CN 91268 appears to be a ballast hopper.

Yes. And still not the hopper in the photo outside of the unknown preserved depot.

Les

Roll Call two bay open top hopper cars

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