HMMMM Never thought about that with open cars but I bet it's a regular thing. How do they empty them????

RSJB18 posted:

HMMMM Never thought about that with open cars but I bet it's a regular thing. How do they empty them????

Either drill/cut drain holes, or clean-out the drain holes that are already there.

it would be very unusual for a gon to hold water

          gondola full of water, here ya go...

                                   @  0:55    https://youtu.be/w_iDP2MGmok

Crazy!

That "People Are Awesome" video shows a different perspective on railroading.

Dan Weinhold

Early in my career; there was a covered hopper shortage and one of the grain traders employed by the company I worked for; purchased a 75 car corn train from some elevator in Iowa.  Because of the car shortage; the elevator loaded the corn in open top hoppers leased from the Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad.  Once loaded; they covered each car with a heavy tarp.

While the train was enroute to Houston; it ran through heavy rain.  When the train finally arrived at our elevator along the ship channel; the tarps were submerged under water to the point all 75 cars resembled wading pools.  And; with the standing water in the car tops; samples of the corn in each couldn’t be drawn for lab analysis.  

Management didn’t want to spend the money to rent pumps so those of us deemed young and healthy enough were given buckets and sent up into the tops of each car to bail out the water.  

Fortunately the tarps had kept the corn from getting wet so we had no problems unloading the cars once the tarps had been cleared of standing water.

Curt

Rick Rubino posted:

it would be very unusual for a gon to hold water

Per the comments, this gon had its drain holes welded up deliberately so it wouldn't leak (and was left to sit for three years by the owner, hence the water).   Such gondolas are used, for example, to haul contaminated soil from cleanup sites.  With the drainholes welded, no toxic drips on the roadbed.  Emptying is via power shovel or rotary dumping. 

Mitch 

Looks like a redneck railroaders version of the ole tarp in the back of the pickup truck trick.

Buzz

Looks like.............

Splish Splash - I’m Taking A Bath

by: Bobby Darin

Gary

trainroomgary posted:

Looks like.............

Splish Splash - I’m Taking A Bath

by: Bobby Darin

Well, if you LIKE bathing in rusty, mosquito-ridden water...    ;^.^ 

Mitch

Hi Mitch:

No room for a surf board in this gondola railcar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUdOjOfGYhc

Just for the fun of it.  Play time: under two minutes.  

I like iron in my gondola bathtub, good for the blood stream. lol

Gary

On this comments for the video I asked if it counts as a load or an empty, since no one was paying to haul the water.

Stuart