Text 4 Self-Discharging Wagons.
A smaller type of moveable unit than a container is a hopper or a tank, fitted on a special wagon and tipped for loading and unloading. This, however, is a type which is used on certain lines or by certain special industries.
The whole body can move or tip. This is generally done by special devices on the vehicle itself. Such devices, however, require some motive power to drive them and some means to anchor them to the rail.
In certain cases, it has been found more practicable to tip the whole wagon, which has to be fitted with tipping or removable sides.
Greenbrier Europe and DB Cargo, Germany, have together launched a new four-axle flat wagon for transporting metal plates. The Sips-u 725 series plate transformation wagon features rotating platforms to secure loads of different gauges.
This wagon is 22m long and has a loading length of 19m and a variable loading width from 2.83m to 5.5m. Each loading platform consists of a welded frame, with the transom having adjustable slide bolts installed for bedding and cramping the metal plates.
It is possible to rotate each loading platform from the horizontal using hydraulic cylinders. The centre platform can be rotated by 600 and the two others by 500.The load is also secured by six binding devices with winch, edge protection, and tightening belt, as well as the corresponding hooks for securing the belt.
Text 5 Hopper cars.
Bulky goods are often loaded into high sided wagons by gravity systems. To unload such cars movable sides or openings in the floor of the wagon are used.
Specially constructed covered hopper car features double leading hatches and rapid unloading outlets for transporting high density mineral concentrate in slurry form.
Covered hopper cars are used to carry dry commodities such as potash, cement, soda, ash, fertilizer, salt, sugar. They are available in 70-ton and 100-ton sizes with multiple loading hatches.
Another example of modern wagon design for special traffics is the stainless steel covered hopper wagon. With the capacity of 135 tons this wagon was produced from Tanelon stainless steel. As well as four loading hatches in the roof, this wagon has the largest discharge doors in existence; these can be adjusted to regulate the speed of flow from the hopper. Tenelon steel is claimed to be nearly twice as strong as ordinary stainless steel.
An interior cleaning device is fitted in the form of an automatic washing system to flush out the hopper. Both Cor-ten and Tri-ten high-strength low-alloy steels are used in the body members and centre sill.
Open top hopper cars are built to carry a wide variety of minerals and special goods which are not affected by atmospheric conditions.
Text 6 Tanker wagons.
Transportation by means of such wagons, in spite of the increasing competition with road transport and pipe-lines, tends to increase owing to the rise in quantities and types of products carried.
It is considered that the traffic of petroleum products is likely to increase considerably, either because pipe-lines are not always suitable, or because new petroleum products together with other liquid products result in an increasing traffic.
New tendencies are seen in particular in the transportation of gas, liquefied under pressure, strongly refrigerated at pressure equal to or greater then atmospheric pressure.
The trend in tank wagon design in recent years is has been towards the highest possible payload. So, the permitted axle-loads have been increased to enable more advantages to be taken of the loading gauge possibilities for increased tank volumes.
Text 7 Low loading wagons
Such wagons with their low loading capacity are used for loads which are not excessively heavy but also may be in excess of the loading gauge, especially as far as their height is concerned.
The central portion of the wagon is lower than the others or forms a cradle in which the load can be more easily stowed and fastened.
Modern depressed centre flat cars provide additional clearance and carrying capacity for large and heavy industrial and electrical equipment shipped by rail.
To carry massive transformers the USA railways have at their disposal a 24 wheel 88 ft well-wagon with a capacity of 350 tons. The tare weight of this vehicle is nearly 95 tons. The clear opening of the well is 31 ft 1 inch and four six-wheel bogies are used to carry the nickel cast-steel undreframe.
The two side-sill castings are bolted to the end castings with 72 high-strength bolts, so that they can be removed, if necessary, to allow the loading of almost any transformer and the wagon reassembled around it. The wagon end-castings with their bogies can thus be brought up, one at each end of the road, and reconnected by bolting up the sills again. Different lengths of side-sill can be used to suit various loads.