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• Wood Chip Service Cars

  Posted by David Lotz June 20, 2012 - 1089 views - Filed in Prototype Equipment - #acl  #Southern  #NS  #Seaboard  #Atlantic Coast Line  #sou  #Warren Calloway  #SAL  #GM&O  #Wood Chip Service  #Wood  #Norfolk Souhtern  #Central of Georgia  #CofG 

  Above: Ashley, Drew & Northern SW900 No. 907 handles a cut of wood-chip hopper cars on a spur at Crossett, Ark., on Oct. 15, 1981. AD&N owns 100 similar cars, 100-ton types with a capacity of 7000 cubic feet.

  Right: One of the cars specially designed for wood-chip service was Seaboard Coast Line 190980. It has a 75-ton, 5850-cubic foot capacity. Note the service designation on the car side.

  Distinctive rolling stock used in timber regions nationwide

  BY WARREN CALLOWAY

  PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE AUTHOR

     Wood products are a major commodity hauled by southeastern railroads as well as those in certain other parts of the country. For years, the southeast product was in the form of six-foot lengths of wood carried on special flat cars known locally as "wood racks." In the early 1960's, a new form of wood traffic was being shipped to paper mills in the south. These were wood chips, which required a new type of railroad car because of the large volume and light weight of the product.

     Initially, local roads modified standard 50- and 70-ton hoppers by adding side extensions to increase cubic capacity. Examples of this approach were found on Seaboard, Norfolk Southern, Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, Georgia and others. Southern Railway built a series of wood chip cars - used also by the Central of Georgia - from 40-foot boxcars. Southern removed the roof, sealed the door openings, extended the sides and added bottom doors for unloading. As we've said, the specially designed cars for wood-chip service appeared in the south in the mid-1960's. These cars were built specifically for large capacity/low weight wood chip business. The car lengths grew to 50 and 60 feet, and some cars had drop bottoms (SAL), while others had hopper doors (NS, CG, ACL). In the 1970's, some 70-foot cars were placed in service (SR, SCL).

  Atlantic Coast Line No. 84210 was photographed at Raleigh. N.C. in 1984-still wearing its pre-merger paint scheme. The car is equipped with four unloading bays.

  Right: Seaboard System 431216 shows off its new paint scheme in this 1984 view. Also a four-hatch, bottom unloading hopper, No. 431216 is one of the wood-chip hoppers specifically built for such use.

  Below: One of the larger wood-chip cars used. Central of Georgia No. 235 held a hefty 77 tons and 5800 cubic feet. Chip service was denoted on the car side.

  Left: South Central Tennessee Railroad RS11 No. 29 drags a train of wood chips through the verdant Volunteer State countryside. SCTR owns 80 wood-chip hoppers, all 6000-cubic foot capacity cars.

  Right above: Seaboard No. 36477 was one of the wood-chip hoppers having drop bottoms for unloading. Note the lack of hopper-type bays under the car. No. 36477 held 75 tons of wood chips, one of 300 similar cars on the railroad. Right below: SAL No. 36381 was a 77-ton car, renumbered into SCL series by adding an 8 in front of the Seaboard digits.

  Left: Seaboard 36117 was one of several wood-chip hoppers built from regular coal service hopper cars. The railroad simply added new, higher side panels to increase the capacity of the car No. 36117 is a 77-ton, 4626-cubic foot hopper

  Louisville & Nashville owned 100 of this type of wood-chip hopper, a somewhat unusual six-unloading-bay design.

  This Southern wood-chip car was converted from a regualr 40-foot boxcar. The car held only 55 toms (4474 cubic feet) of wood chips. Note the unloading gate control equipment on the car side.

  Southern No. 133718 was designed and built specifically for wood-chip service. It was one of the largest wood-chip cars ever built, and differed from most with its waffle-sided construction.

  Western Railway of Alabama owned only 35 wood-chip hoppers, but they were practically the largest ones around. No. 26028 had a capacity of 100 tons.

  The heritage of Georgia Railroad No. 15710 as a coal hopper is obvious. The car was one of 51 similar types on the road, and it held 77 tons, 4800 cubic feet.

  Four-bay hopper No, 190042 was a 70-ton, 5400-cubic foot car. A popular style, it was one of 1130 similar types on the SCL.

  Yet another style of wood-chip car is this Seaboard Coast line rotary gondola. There were 300 of these cars on the SCL roster.

  ne of the more massive types of wood-chip hopper, SCL 196261 is a 7000-cubic foot, waffle-side car with six unloading bays. Note the Family Lines paint scheme.

  Norfolk Southern (the original NS) No. 8200 was their first wood-chip car, seen here at Raleigh, N.C., in 1963. It was converted from a coal hopper.

  Also on the Norfolk Southern roster back in the 1960's was this specially-built wood-chip hopper, a six-bay affair holding 77 tons, 5825 cubic feet.

  WOODCHIP CARS PARTIAL ROSTER
  APALACHICOLA NORTHERN							ST. LOUIS-SAN FRANCISCO
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	93000-93054	92	6940	HTS	55
  	4000-4054	100	7000	HTS	55		93100-93154	92	6940	HTS	55
  ASHLEY, DREW & NORTHERN							SEABOARD COAST LINE
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.		Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes
  	4100-4199	100	7025	GTS	100		180000-180219	77	5877	GT	220
  ATLANTA & ST. ANDREWS BAY							180220-180319	77	5877	GT	100
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	180320-180419	95	7100	GT	100
  	1601-1609	50	2721	HM	9		180420-180519	100	7112	GT	100
  	1611-1614	50	2721	HM	4		190000-190179	70	5400	HTS	180
  	1615-1639	55	3100	HM	25		190180-190579	70	5400	HTS	400
  	1665-1680	77	4332	HTS	26		190580-190929	70	5400	HTS	350
  	1699	55	4438	HTS	1		190930-191029	75	5850	HKS	100
  	1750-1779	89	7526	HTS	30		191030-191229	70	5400	HTS	200
  ATLANTA & WEST POINT							195000-195389	90	7000	HTS	390
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	195390-195399	90	7000	HTS	10
  	46000-46034	100	7000	HTS	35		195400-195599	90	7000	HTS	200
  CENTRAL OF GEORGIA							195600-195974	90	7000	HTS	375
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	195975-196174	90	7000	HTS	200
  	151-250	77	5800	HTS	100		196175-196274	90	7000	HTS	100
  	20000-20299	55	4474	HTS	300		684200-684299	70	5400	HTS	100	1
  CHATAHOOCHEE INDUSTRIAL							684300-684499	70	5400	HTS	200	1
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	684500-684699	70	5400	HTS	200	1
  	5000-5039	90	7000	HTS	40		684700-684899	70	5400	HTS	200	1
  	5200-5149	100	6810	GTS	50		684900-684999	70	5400	HTS	100	1
  	5201-5206	70	4800	HTS	6		836000-836199	77	4626	HTS	200	2,3
  	5207-5208	70	4350	HTS	2		836200-836399	75	5850	HKS	200	2
  	5209-5210	70	4800	HTS	2		836400-836499	75	5850	HKS	100	2
  	5300-5339	100	7000	HTS	40		SOUTH CENTRAL TENNESSEE
  GEORGIA RAILROAD							Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	1201-1280		6000	HTS	80
  	15700-15750	77	4800	HTS	51		SOUTHERN
  	16000-16124	90	7000	HTS	125		Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes
  	GULF, MOBILE & OHIO						131950-131999	77	5825	HTS	50
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	132000-132399	55	4507	HTS	400
  	82000-82199	55	3546	HMS	200		132400-132449	77	4448	HTS	50
  	82200-82399	55	3500	HMS	200		132500-132597	77	5800	HTS	98
  	82400-82449	77	4760	HTS	50		132600-132893	55	4474	HTS	294
  	82550-82699	77	5748	HTS	150		132900-132979	55	4507	HTS	80
  	82700-82799	77	5748	HTS	100		133000-133199	89	7526	HTS	200
  	866300-866399	77	5748	HTS	100		133200-133449	89	7526	HTS	250
  	LOUISVILLE & NASHVILLE						133575-133724	89	7526	HTS	150
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	134225-134499	89	7526	HTS	275
  	30620-30699	75	4720	HTS	80		139725-139874	92	7526	GTS	150
  	30700-30799	77	5750	HTS	100		139875-139999	92	7625	GTS	125
  	30800-30849	77	4746	HTS	50		TEXAS, OKLAHOMA & EASTERN
  	31000-31099	92	7000	HTS	100		Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes
  	31900-31999	92	7000	HTS	100		800-861	77	4677	HTS	62
  	32000-32029	94	7000	HTS	30		1200-1395	94	7500	GB	195
  	32030-32111	92	7000	HTS	82		1500-1574	100	7000	HTS	75
  	NORFOLK SOUTHERN						WESTERN RAILWAY OF ALABAMA
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes
  	8200-8229	70	4268	HTS	30		26000-26034	100	7000	HTS	35
  	8250-8269	77	5825	HTS	20		1 . Ex-ACL cars. Renumbered into SCL series by adding digit 6 i n front of old ACL numbers. 2. Ex-SAL cars. Renumbered into SCL series by adding digit 8 in front of o ld SAL numbers. 3. These cars had their extended sides removed and were returned to coal hopper service. Renumbered to 8 83800-883997
  	8270-8299	77	5825	HTS	30
  	NORTH LOUISIANA & GULF
  	Nos.	Cap. (Tons)	Cap. (Cu. ft.)	AAR Class	Qty.	Notes
  	4001-4040	77	5500	HTS	40

  Article Details

  • Original Author Warren Calloway
  • Source Prototype Modeler
  • Publication Date December 1986

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