Eastern Railroad Discussion > Toilet paper factories and rail

USA Today has an article about Procter & Gamble running its Charmin etc factory in northeast PA at full blast. The factory was a huge shipper on Lehigh Valley, and Conrail. I'm sure it still receives and ships by rail.

The article mentions a reopened PG plant in Georgia. Who has that shipping by rail?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/20/coronavirus-factory-making-charmin-toilet-paper-stay-open/2885041001/

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> USA Today has an article about Procter & Gamble
> running its Charmin etc factory in northeast PA at
> full blast. The factory was a huge shipper on
> Lehigh Valley, and Conrail. I'm sure it still
> receives and ships by rail.
> Posted from Android
 We know it receives by rail.
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,4975671

It looks like the Albany mill is on the Georgia and Florida per Google Maps.  However, I have a hard time believing Norfolk Southern gave up direct access to a mill this size.

I saw one of the mill's paper machines under construction in 1996.  That machine was capable of 5000 feet per minute.  

Neil



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/20 09:44 by SOUCF25.

The article mentions the mill was returned to service in two weeks. Rather than the months otherwise expected.

Good for jobs.

Posted from Android

That had to have been a 24/7 project.  I've been involved in three paper machine start-ups, and they're not simple.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/20 10:17 by SOUCF25.

I think Reading & Northern serves the Mehoopany P & G Plant.

The P&G plant in Oxnard, California is served by the UP (former Espee) with inbound pulp. Reported to be working around the clock. The three day a week local ran extra weekend turns the last two saturdays.

Warehouses are running low on TP as well as the stores....

Expect the TP plants to be cranking for AWHILE....??!!

rkennedy2 Wrote:
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> I think Reading & Northern serves the Mehoopany P
> & G Plant.

Thank you.

Posted from Android

Some industries are going to make out quite well.
Amtrak toilet paper is rough enough to smooth down down spackle on dry wall.

Reading and Northern brings the inbound bales of pulp in and has the switching rights to the plant.  Lehigh Railway interchanges cars from the west to the R&N.  No outbound shipments by rail, all go by truck.  Conrail annoyed P&G years ago and took care of that.

PPLX777 Wrote:
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> Reading and Northern brings the inbound bales of
> pulp in and has the switching rights to the
> plant.  Lehigh Railway interchanges cars from the
> west to the R&N.  No outbound shipments by rail,
> all go by truck.  Conrail annoyed P&G years ago
> and took care of that.

Thanks for that info. That's a shame, paper goods can be $$$ cargo.

Posted from Android

seriously, toilet paper.

got news for y'all. as long as you have running water, life will be good.............

66

goneon66 Wrote:
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> seriously, toilet paper.
>
> got news for y'all. as long as you have running
> water, life will be good.............
>
> 66

Tell people "hoarding" TP that one...

Some distribution centers are OVERWHELMED right now.

My head scratcher is...go to any grocery store, then think about the phrase "social distancing"..??!!

Posted from Android

PPLX777 Wrote:
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> Reading and Northern brings the inbound bales of
> pulp in and has the switching rights to the
> plant.  Lehigh Railway interchanges cars from the
> west to the R&N.  No outbound shipments by rail,
> all go by truck.  Conrail annoyed P&G years ago
> and took care of that.
When Conrail gave up that portion of the Lehigh to the R&N the dividing line was about a mile (RR Direction) east of the plant. P&G owned the switching yard and land along the rail line with Conrail having the contract to switch the plant. For the R&N to get the contract to switch the plant P&G just built an extention from there yard down to connect with the R&N. The LRWY can run down to the plant and use the crossovers to set off into the P&G Mehoopany Yard.
Back when Conrail was switching the yard the P&G clerk worked in what was called the Cider Mill. Inside it looked just like a Conrail Yard Office but was all P&G property. One day the CR Superintendant walked in and the clerk was smoking at his desk and the Superintendant told him he was not allowed to smoke in the "Company" office. The clerk paid no attention to him and the Superintedant was getting mad. The clerk called for P&G security to escort the Superintendant off the property. That is one thing that started getting CR out of the contract. Having worked the switch job there it was known to do anything that P&G wanted as they paid for everything.

I picked up a load of TP the other day for a Sams Club. About 500 dock doors, 15 minutes to load but a 12 hour wait to get to the dock. 35 minute drive to Sams, load sold out in 1 1/2 hours. Trains are just to slow for this problem, now plants are running out of products to ship now so we're going to have a new problem but at least our hours of service are suspended when hauling an emergency product, so I can run like the old days.

ns1000 Wrote:
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> My head scratcher is...go to any grocery store,
> then think about the phrase "social
> distancing"..??!!
>

Where I went today, they have placed round red decals about a foot diameter on the floor at six foot interals in the aisles and leading to the counters and checkout lanes. They're taking it seriously. I wouldn't want to go there were trhey not.

TAW

Bidet ads are popping up on my devices now!
My son installed one on a toilet in our house a few months ago. It has a heater and a remote control!

It's been more than a few years (50+), but when P&G opened that plant in Mehoopany, we (the then students and faculty at Penn State's School of Forest Resources) were very surprised that they were sourcing some of -- if not all -- of their wood pulp locally using oak!  Oak never was a species that pulp mills liked to handle since some of the fibers (wood cells) did not make good paper!  Most mills preferred longer fibers for paper since fiber length is directly proportional to paper strength! On the other hand, the products they produced (and still produce) are more renowned for softness!  I can personally attest that -- at that time -- Penn State's low bid off-brand TP in the campus facilities was not soft and cuddly!

Bruce

BCutter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's been more than a few years (50+), but when
> P&G opened that plant in Mehoopany, we (the then
> students and faculty at Penn State's School of
> Forest Resources) were very surprised that they
> were sourcing some of -- if not all -- of their
> wood pulp locally using oak!  Oak never was a
> species that pulp mills liked to handle since some
> of the fibers (wood cells) did not make good
> paper!  Most mills preferred longer fibers for
> paper since fiber length is directly proportional
> to paper strength! On the other hand, the products
> they produced (and still produce) are more
> renowned for softness!  I can personally attest
> that -- at that time -- Penn State's low bid
> off-brand TP in the campus facilities was not soft
> and cuddly!
>
> Bruce

Charmin is soft but I prefer sandpaper so long as it's absorbent!