Western Railroad Discussion > New Car

Been getting quite a few of these here in Canon City Colo on the UP. Colorado Quarries in Canon City is using them. Not sure if they are loaded here in town or are being unloaded tho. They come into town in groups of four and leave within the week after being delivered by the 1x per week UP Local. There were about 8 of these type in town today. Look like Wood Chip cars but don't see any Wood Chips at the facility here.  Anyone have any idea as to what they are used for and the story behind them?  This car was in Pueblo Wed the 24 of May.  Thanks for any insight. Ben

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A lot of these are used for cottonseed loading.

All of the cars like that I have seen were carrying cottonseeds. I used to see PFPX former UP woodchip gondolas carrying bark to landscape companies.

PFPX = Pacific Fiber Products. I know they ship a lot of fir tree bark out of Longview, WA. They probably ship that landscaping material all over the country. They also might be backhauling cottonseed back to the PNW which is a popular cattle feed.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

funnelfan Wrote:
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> PFPX = Pacific Fiber Products. I know they ship a
> lot of fir tree bark out of Longview, WA. They
> probably ship that landscaping material all over
> the country. They also might be backhauling
> cottonseed back to the PNW which is a popular
> cattle feed.

Well, here is the Colorado Quarries website:

Home | Colorado Quarries

Perhaps some of its materials is what is being back-hauled.

Looks like there's no catwalk on the end of the car for a conductor or brakeman to cross over.  Am I seeing hinges at the top on the end of the car?  Is the end of the car some kind of flip-up door?  I don't think I've seen anything like that, although I have seen old beat up wood chip cars with a single swing-open door on the end that was hinged on one side.

I've seen pix of end dump cars similar to this, a lot like the end dump, dump trucks that unload at geain elevators. 
Around here high side gindiolas like this are ud=sed for construction waste, better described as demolition debris from tearing down old buildings in cities.
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