Did the B&O ever haul ore trains?

I'm not aware of the B&O hauling any iron ore on a regular basis. However, you should purchase a copy of the latest issue of Classic Trains Magazine (NOT to be confused with Classic TOY Trains Magazine), because there is an EXCELLENT photo spread and story about the B&O EM-1 locomotives hauling coal on the Lake Branch in Ohio.

The B&O hauled coal to several cities. They hauled coal from southern PA up to Buffalo and Rochester and sent it to Canada by ship for heating. Coal was used in Buffalo at the various steel plants and in the Rochester for Eastman Kodak. The B&O also hauled up to Toledo and northern Ohio via the Lake line again for use in steelmaking. The Buffalo Div. used KK's and later F-7's. The Lake Line used EM-1's. There are a lot of video's out there showing the B&O in action hauling coal and iron ore. Iron ore from Brazil was hauled from the east coast to inland steel plant.

I used to live on the Buffalo division( ex B,R,&P) and watched several trains a day haul coal to Buffalo's steel plants for years until the plants closed. Most of the line is ripped up now.

Trainchief

I saw a photo somewhere, don't remember where, of a B&O EM-1 hauling ore

in regular hopper size cars up the east slope of Sand Patch, heading west.

I think the caption explained how often they handled that train on the B&O, but I don't remember the particulars.

Ed Mullan

Now THAT is the key information! Coal hoppers for ore/taconite/lead ore, thus you can't actually see the load way down deep in the car.

All I can offer is is what my Dad told me about this photo. He made 2 runs a day from Deforest yard to Painsville , Ohio. Iron Ore up and coal back for Republic Steel in Warren, Ohio This photo was take in West Farmington Ohio on Sept 4, 1956 My Dad was the Engineer and ran that every day.

B&O owned a company called TORCO, Toledo Ore Dock Company. That has now morphed into TORC Toledo Ore Railroad Company. I guess they may have hauled a little ore.

Steve

The Western Maryland (Port Covington) and B&O (Curtis Bay) both hauled Venezuelan iron ore west from Baltimore. Through the early 60's the WM actually carried more iron ore out of Baltimore than did the B&O.

Both roads modified facilities at Port Covington and Curtis Bay to "wash" hoppers after dropping coal so they could carry ore on the westbound trip.

Poppyl    

Do you know how many hours it took to finish the run? Or how much the crew were paid for the day's work? Were they treated as a extra or a issued orders giving them superiority?

Western Maryland hauled ore at least partway back. Baltimore exported coal through the rotary and conveyor dumper at Curtis Bay in Covington Yards... And imported Ore and manganese.

I think it was about 1/3 full on the volume inside the western Maryland coal hoppers directly over the trucks. Once in a while someone will stuff ore full and destroy the bearings and render the entire car scrap.

Makes me wonder how many of the cars themselves were "Tossed" into the crucible while making iron or steel.

As I remember it was just the regular 8 hour day, he was always home for supper and the chores as we ran a large farm also. Don.t have any Idea about the pay.

He pointed out the white flags to me and said it was an extra. it also took a helper engine on the rear to get up the Chardon, Ohio Hill.  He said the reason they were stopped was waiting on the south bound to pass.

I dont know much more about the logistics just what I can remember him telling me.

if you have any more questions it may jog my memory but for now that is all the help I can be.

Thank you all for the information!  Now everything makes sense.  I would have never though that they used regular coal hoppers to transport iron ore.

Jim,

Thanks for the photo and the account from your father.

This video demonstrates the use of coal hoppers to transport iron ore by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Because of the much greater bulk density of ore, the coal was loaded only in the car ends and over the trucks.

I remember that car, Bill.  MTH also made two different B&O ore cars in RailKing over the years.  That was part of my original reason for asking about this as I could not find any photos that suggested cars like that existed on the B&O.

Thanks for the video Charlie, that shows the ore-in-hopper practice pretty well.

Thank you for the information, Andrew.  I really appreciate it!

Pennsy had no Ore cars until very late, near the time of the PC merger.   During the steam and early diesel days they handled Iron ore in coal hoppers as described above.    They served a lot of online steel plants this way.  

B&O would have served their online customers the same way, or transferred the ore to another line for delivery.   

I worked for Armco Steel in Middletown for a number of years.   The "high line" into the blast furnace area came off a CSX line, not the BIG 4 Nyc line.     but that does not mean the ore came in one or the other.   Unfortunately I was not close enough to the hot operations to see that.

Another interesting fact about that operation that I am sure of is that Armco ran hot metal trains on CSX for about 15 miles from Hamilton to Middletwon.   They had two small blast furnaces in Hamilton and no finishing.   Armco had some engines certified for interchange service on CSX and ran down and back with hot metal bottle cars.   Middletown was always short of hot metal (molten iron).

Thanks for the information, prrjim!

This is a great thread! 

You can make ore loads in the bottoms of the hoppers and put removable coal loads on top for the trip in the other direction.

Jeff,

That is what I have been thinking since I found this out.

Coal and ore...

Thanks for the photos, electroliner!