LCL containers, when where they used and why are they not used any more?

The rounds ones were usually used for liquid premixed cement. Used basically in the 1930's and 40's to haul to job sites. They were labor intensive to fill, load in gondolas and unload. Not very efficient. With the advent of powered cement, sending already pre-made concrete became obsolete. LCL stood for Less than Car Load.

@peter allen 072518 posted:

I am posting this to Real trains, as this is a question about history, but also dips into 3 rail toy trains and current scale models, so my apologies if I am in the wrong forum.

As a child, (think 1989 ish) when we set up the Christmas tree my dad would pull out my Uncle’s Lionel trains, a late 1950/earl 1960’s mix of a FM train master, and a 2-4-2,and set up a loop of track, among the cars there was always a gondola with Red “things” that road inside it. They were hollow and had no bottoms. This was my early introduction to what I would latter learn were LCL containers.

I always assumed these were a toy invented to fit in the gondola’s, just a little more play value. I had never seen these containers in real life nor had I every come across them when I got back into model railroading about 10 years ago.  

A few weeks ago I found myself in my favorite train store in Michigan, Great Lakes Hobby and Train, and wam there is a MTH purple box, with a Western Maryland gondola with LCL containers. So I guess this means they are real. Some googling latter,  with new gondola in hand, I see they are a real thing, but I am not finding out too much more.

Can anyone share with me a source of information about these things,

what were they used for?

When were they used and

why are they not used any more?

A closer look into the use of LCL cement containers on the Lackawanna can be found at:

https://trainmasterbob.com/lac...-cement-bottle-cars/

It is well done and informative.

There were also other configurations of LCL containers that were used to transport everything from finished general merchandise to other types of bulk materials.

Hope this helps to answer your questions,

C.J.

Railroads don't do less than car load anymore , Fedex UPS and the likes have taken over that task. much faster and cheaper. the LV had a bunch of guns with the round containers in them for cement and NYC had square ones for other merchandise. trailer and container cars are as close as it comes to this these days although not considered less than carload.