Canadian Railroads > Cylindrical Hoppers Aren't Dead Yet

The grain rush continues in western Canada, and as tonight's CN G819 shows, every hopper in the fleet seems to have been put to use.  110 of the 113 cars on this train were of the classic cylindrical 4,550cu/ft variety.  Almost all bore the MGLX reporting mark of Mobil Grain.

17:22 PDT, 27/10/24 
MP 104 CN Yale Subdivision



 

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Nice pic!!

Interesting update on the fleet, does that mean there's a wild mix of paint schemes representing all the cylindrical hopper fleet?

Sounds like a big difference from the all-the-same unit trains that have been running lately.

t4p.

ns1000 Wrote:
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> Nice pic!!

Thank you!

TCnR Wrote:
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> Interesting update on the fleet, does that mean there's a wild mix of paint schemes representing
> all the cylindrical hopper fleet?  Sounds like a big difference from the all-the-same
> unit trains that have been running lately.

The cylindrical hoppers on this train were comprised of three paint schemes; the former Canadian Wheat Board CNWX brown/gold, and both of the two former SKNX paint schemes.  Mobil Grain, the holder of the MGLX reporting mark operates two short lines in Saskatchewan.  The train symbol notes from the current Canadian Trackside Guide show the G819 as originating in Saskatoon with 'ex BGS loads', so it appears this movement was a collection of cars from the elevators on that short line.  This is my first time hearing that symbol, so I wonder if this is a recurring movement, or if this solid block of cars was accrued over a longer period of time before being sent out as a unit train.

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