Western Railroad Discussion > Kitty litter hoppers

Was watching the cleanup  in Kansas City on Virtual Railfan (see IOTD); this has progressed to the point where they can start running trains under the bridge. If you wind the tape back to about 12:39 p.m. CDT, you'll see a mixed manifest freight including a string of about a dozen covered hoppers. Many of these hoppers have CATX reporting marks and a pawprint logo in the upper left corner. They're filled with kitty litter! I read about this traffic several years ago, but this is the first time I've seen any of them. Other experts may be able to provide additional information on them.

Wiinston Hill

Saw some of these past Kearney the other day and wondered what they were. 

Kitty litter is an absorbant mineral clay used in all sorts of spilled liquid clean up.

I hope there is never a shortage, imagine the loud howls across the nation. People will be shredding toilet paper and paper towels to mix with traction sand to hear purrs and get face rubs. Some cat litter now is recycled paper. I wonder what politicians think about that when they clean the litter box?

A happy kitty is a happy home.😊



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/20 14:26 by fbe.

We discovered a long time ago that cheap kitty litter works as good or better then overpriced oil absorbant for about half the price.
 

Neat find, I've never seen those before. 12:42:45 is where I see them. Looks like they have circular hatches on a PS4150 knockoff type hopper, which is very odd; I've never seen a car like that with round hatches. Any idea where they go to and from?

I don't know their destinations, but two of the largest kittly litter production plants are in Wyoming--one in Casper and one in Worland as a recall from some years back.

I saw a couple on an EB manifest on the Quincy, IL VR cam tonight about 10pm. After having never seen them before I saw them two different times today, crazy

I believe there is a cat litter manufacturing/packaging facility in North Kansas City-Have seen a few on the KCT Industrial trackage over there and on their local train. It moves on the BNSF to them from what I've seen. 

Dave Burman
modeling the modern Twin Cities
Trempealeau, WI

The plant is located in Spring Hill, KS.   Spring Hill is on the southwest side of the KC metro area.   The plant was operated by Clorox, but I'm not sure if they are still the operator.   The exterior of the plant has no signs.   

Here's a couple that I saw coming off the the Brush Sub in far Western Nebraska/ Eastern Colorado in in 2013. 

I really like these cars.

---

---

you  can also google Excel Mineral co. They had a mine over near Taft CA  (on one of the San Joaquin branches.
Don't think they ever used the CATX cars but was rail served. side note: I dated the daughter of the owner of the
company many many moos ago. When I was young and wild. I think* their brand was Jonny-cat but please don't
hold me to that recollection.

inyosub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you  can also google Excel Mineral co. They had a
> mine over near Taft CA  (on one of the San
> Joaquin branches.
> Don't think they ever used the CATX cars but was
> rail served. side note: I dated the daughter of
> the owner of the
> company many many moos ago. When I was young and
> wild. I think* their brand was Jonny-cat but
> please don't
> hold me to that recollection.

It was the Sunset Railway. The line from Levee to Taft was abandoned many years ago and the tracks may have been removed. They did end just past Taft Manufacturing but they laid rails on the old ROW a short distance for the new oil terminal.

The plant was Excel Minerals and produces Jonny Cat. It looks like Excel was bought out by Oil-Dri.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Taft,+CA/@35.1160088,-119.4041749,721m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80ea368f4e74756d:0x12c7e8af6df9a813!8m2!3d35.1424671!4d-119.4565078