Canadian Railroads > FCF - New Blue Hoppers for CN Cadomin Stone Train on Edson Sub

On Tuesday, August 26 (three days ago) I was out on CN's Edson Sub west of Edmonton for a 16-train, 12-hour shoot in perfect sun. I'll work up a post of that eventually. For now I'd like to share a visual delight, the relatively new blue hopper cars on #U724 (EB loads) and #U725 (WB empties). I was lucky to see #724 in the morning, then #725 in the afternoon, in both cases with 70-car consists. These four photos are from the WB movement, shot at 1534 from the grade crossing at MP 54.91, just east of Seba Beach on Range Road 55. From the past, I was used to boring grey on the various cars in service for Inland Cement (no Lehigh Inland Cement). After I finish this post I'll catch some links of previous posts and edit them in, if you're interested.
1. First up is LEHX 25178, a TrinityRail gondola built in 08-25. The Ld Lmt is 227,900 lbs, Lt Wt 58,100 lbs, so capacity of 169,800 lbs, approximately 77t. This is the A end, with ladder. I'm not sure what the 'Caution No ... Ladder' notice is, some of the letters being obscured.
2. The second shot is LEHX 25143, built 07-25, otherwise same stats, showing the B end, with sloped plate shielding the AB valve.
3. A broadside at the crossing shows LEHX 25165, also built 07-25. The B end is to the right, and you can see the ladder on the following car's A end. Although red lettering is hypothetically a great choice for warnings, it's a bit lost on the clean blue background. In the middle of the car, we have 'Warning do not apply shaker to any part of car body except top chord use on loaded car only,' and 'Do not hammer on car.' The buttons to control the hopper gates are in red panels over the B-end truck; I'm assuming air-actuated. One more shot to come, plus links in that part of the thread.

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4. Sometimes the hopper gates don't work, witness LEHX 25164, also built 07-25, returning loaded to the mine. You can't win them all. Note that the load is centred, rather than distributed with a lower profile across the three hoppers. This was characteristic of the whole loaded train.
Next are links to previous posts of the Cadomin stone train or Inland Cement cars (this will take me a few minutes):
First up, the train both EB and WB: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4559885,4559885#msg-4559885
Another EB U724, in the middle of several other trains: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4835415,4835429#msg-4835429
Yet another mid-thread shot of U724: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,5280183,5280198#msg-5280198
An earlier generation of gondolas: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4559908,4559920#msg-4559920
Finally, some Inland Cement service covered hoppers: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,6153401,6153890#msg-6153890
Now you know why I appreciate these sharp-looking new cars.
Thanks for looking.
Fred



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/26 15:52 by feclark.

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Fascinating.
Bob

feclark Wrote:  The Ld Lmt is 227,900 lbs, Lt Wt 58,100 lbs, so capacity of 169,800 lbs, approximately 77t.
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Incorrect.  Load Limit of 227,900 plus Light Weight of 58,100 lbs equals the gross maximum weight of car and lading of 286,000 lbs, the current standard. So basically, what you call "capacity", which they don't seem to label cars with anymore, is basically the same as load limit.  Maximum weight of product loaded into this car should not exceed 227,900 lbs.
 

brighteyes Wrote:
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> feclark Wrote:  The Ld Lmt is 227,900 lbs, Lt Wt
> 58,100 lbs, so capacity of 169,800 lbs,
> approximately 77t.
> ------------------------
>
> Incorrect.  Load Limit of 227,900 plus Light
> Weight of 58,100 lbs equals the gross maximum
> weight of car and lading of 286,000 lbs, the
> current standard. So basically, what you call
> "capacity", which they don't seem to label cars
> with anymore, is basically the same as load
> limit.  Maximum weight of product loaded into
> this car should not exceed 227,900 lbs.
>  

Ah, thank you for the correction. I always interpreted this as 'loaded limit.' Oops. The Cu. Ft. gives a volume capacity, but of course feathers and ball bearings are two different beasts in terms of density.
Fred

Neat stuff Fred.  Hopefully the industry's investment in these cars reflects a long future of this operation.  Does this train operate daily?

brighteyes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> feclark Wrote:  The Ld Lmt is 227,900 lbs, Lt Wt
> 58,100 lbs, so capacity of 169,800 lbs,
> approximately 77t.
> ------------------------
>
> Incorrect.  Load Limit of 227,900 plus Light
> Weight of 58,100 lbs equals the gross maximum
> weight of car and lading of 286,000 lbs, the
> current standard. So basically, what you call
> "capacity", which they don't seem to label cars
> with anymore, is basically the same as load
> limit.  Maximum weight of product loaded into
> this car should not exceed 227,900 lbs.
>

To follow up on this, I know what seems odd to me and what led me astray. If you think of scales at a plant that's loading, you can weigh the empty car, and the loaded car, and so you only know the weight of product by subtraction. Unless the plant somehow weighs what it's loading as it dispenses from the bin/silo/whatever. Or is this just meant as a piece of information for the logistics and marketing people to know how many cars they will require for the service? Thanks in advance.
Fred

BoostedFridge Wrote:
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> Neat stuff Fred.  Hopefully the industry's
> investment in these cars reflects a long future of
> this operation.  Does this train operate daily?

Thanks. According to the 2025 TSG (most recent edition) it's daily both ways, and listed as originating at 0001. This visit to the Edson was my first contact since last September, so I can't vouch for daily status, but it seems likely. As for the timings, I saw it EB loaded at 0800, about 140 miles east of the Cadomin site, and WB empty at 1534. The travel distance between my two sightings to Edmonton and back was about 100 miles, using the same units. So clearly the WB light move did not originate at 0001
Given the scale of construction unleashed by Mark Carney's initiative that will see infrastructure built at speeds not seen in generations, or however he put it, the need for cement should continue. The Front Ranges of the Rockies, e.g. near Cadomin, are characterized by incredible thicknesses of limestone and dolostone that extend for 10s of km up and down the Rockies. There is no looming supply crisis. Not unlike Exshaw on CPKC.
Fred

It's no problem to put a modern electronic "weigh-in-motion" scale at the loader. You can run engines over them as much as you want.
Coupled with a modern computer controlled loading system and it's almost "hands free".

Caution no interior ladder. is whats under that ladder you cant read all of. 

NSDTK Wrote:
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> Caution no interior ladder. is whats under that
> ladder you cant read all of. 

Thanks.
Fred