GACX hopper car 47149 @ Joliet IL (1982)
Golden Loaf Flour, Lake City MN
Flour, starch, sugar and plastics do not “flow” easily from a standard hopper bay. To solve this problem, the Fuller Company of Catasauqua, PA, patented the Airslide concept.
In an Airslide covered hopper, the bays are formed into two narrow, steep-sided troughs with a layer of air-permeable material at the bottom. Air is pumped through the material causing the lading to fluidize and flow easily through the hopper outlets.
Starting in 1953, General American Transportation began building Airslide covered hoppers. One of the two original configurations was a 2,600-cubic foot, single-bay car with a 70-ton capacity.
In addition to railroad-owned cars, there were a number of Airslide covered hoppers leased by General American Transportation Corporation (GATC), a large rail car leasing company, with over 122,000 rail cars in their fleet, to sugar and bakery companies.
Golden Loaf had an entire fleet of covered hoppers, featuring their unique logo, and the words "Lake City, MN - Birthplace Of Water Skiing".
GACX hopper car 47149 @ Joliet IL (1982)
Golden Loaf Flour, Lake City MN
Flour, starch, sugar and plastics do not “flow” easily from a standard hopper bay. To solve this problem, the Fuller Company of Catasauqua, PA, patented the Airslide concept.
In an Airslide covered hopper, the bays are formed into two narrow, steep-sided troughs with a layer of air-permeable material at the bottom. Air is pumped through the material causing the lading to fluidize and flow easily through the hopper outlets.
Starting in 1953, General American Transportation began building Airslide covered hoppers. One of the two original configurations was a 2,600-cubic foot, single-bay car with a 70-ton capacity.
In addition to railroad-owned cars, there were a number of Airslide covered hoppers leased by General American Transportation Corporation (GATC), a large rail car leasing company, with over 122,000 rail cars in their fleet, to sugar and bakery companies.
Golden Loaf had an entire fleet of covered hoppers, featuring their unique logo, and the words "Lake City, MN - Birthplace Of Water Skiing".