Saturday, November 4, 2017

Grain Cars!

Canada's unique grain car fleet. Often-photographed but seldom written-about.

Tired, old 60-ton boxcars to more modern, cylindrical Coke can covered hoppers (both shown at Westbourne, Manitoba in 1984 - above photo) these steel servants purveyed Canada's golden grain harvest away and abroad.

The 1970's and 1980's saw the end to destitute denizens of elevator tracks across the West. Desperate for cars, the Government of Canada entered the market with cylindricals in brown, yellow and aluminum. I can remember when grain trains were unbroken strings of cylindricals. I'm now compiling some consists, reviewing some rosters and preparing to peruse some photos. 

One simply can't separate grain elevators from Prairie branchlines from the grain car fleet. They were inter-dependent and interesting. At least they are to the ten people that are going to 'get' this project. Okay, maybe eleven. Could one of them be you?

Look up, look way up.
Eric


2 comments:

  1. Hello Eric. I have been following your blog for a while now. You can count me as one of the ten (or eleven).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your support, Brian! Early support, before either one of us knows what format this research is going to be taken. Great to have you aboard!
    Eric

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Trains and Grains not only looks up, way up, your comments are looked forward to!