Re: Film on how to load a box car with Wheat.
Author: Severe Duty
Date: 08-18-2010 - 09:40
Definitely the best 16 minutes I've spent this week! The car mover (the jacking tool he used to roll the boxcar) is still available new on the open market, and there are at least two of those floating around where I work. The plain bearings, light-weight spring pack and roof-mounted hand brake really speak to today's 135 ton modern grain car loading capacity and design.
I believe (IIRC) it was the movie 'Footloose' with a young Kevin Bacon where I first saw people unloading a boxcar full of grain. I figured at the time that it was just Hollywood BS...grain comes in covered hoppers!
As far as grain elevators go, I believe there are many in heavy operation, but the quaint little operations like that are probably greatly reduced in number since when that film was made (1981). CN, CP, and BNSF still run massive unit trains from more centrally located, cost-effective elevators.
Thanks for posting that link! Neat little things like that keep me coming back.