I have been in Spokane for the past couple of days, helping a friend work on an airplane at Felts Field where the UP/SI trains change crews and have had several chances to get up close looks at some grain trains on the line. I noticed a significant number of the old black round CP Rail covered hoppers have recently had their load limits raised and I'm wondering how this can be. Cars have been recently relettered to load limits well in excess of their former 200,000 lb load limit to 212,000 and 222,000 load limits, apparently they are now being used as 286k cars although some cars the gross adds up to more than 286k. There is no evidence of any kind that there has been any sort of work done to the cars, most being 20+ years old. (I've seen boxcars and gondolas that have been upgraded to 286k and they show evidence of extensive work and have been repainted and such.) The only fresh paint on the cars is black painting out of the old load limit and white restenciling of the new limit. Some cars the only readable lettering is the new load limit. I wouldn't think cars that old, built as 263k cars, could handle the extra load after 20+ years of service without at least a little work being done?
Ideas anyone??