Procor Covered Hopper Cars

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These big eye-catching cement-coloured covered hopper cars, with a 5820 cu.ft. capacity, were built from the late 70s all the way up through the early 90s. About 1,700 were designed and built by Procor in Oakville for Procor and Dow Chemical, the primary owners. Procor manufactured cars in its Oakville shops until 2002, now built at parent Union Tank Car's plants in Alexandria, LA and Sheldon, TX. Car lengths varied between 62-10, 63-6 and 67-7 (feet-inches) in length. In 1976 the PROCOR wordmark began to be used.

Built in batches of 1 to 200+ among 5810 and 5840 cu.ft. cars, the numbers of the 5820 cu.ft. cars were:

• UNPX 122012-122280 built 1976-79
• UNPX 122647-123402 built 1984-88
• UNPX 123500-123599 built 1988
• UNPX 123630-123651 built 1990

The cars featured pneumatic unloading for dry bulk commodities such as plastic pellets. Though I've long been interested in these cars and noted their numbers, this post emerged from draft form after I purchased a Rapido Trains Inc. model of one. Dave Cook of Kingston Locomotive Works had several at great prices.

UNPX 123316 on CN No 376 at Belleville on November 25, 2016 with black PROCOR:

They do not go back in time as far as I thought they did on CN's Kingston Sub! My observations of these cars (only beginning in 2013) including date, car and CN train on, with any remarks:

• Aug 24/13 UNPX 122741
• Nov 13/16 UNPX 123149 on 376 (top photo)
• Nov 25/16 UNPX 123316 on 376
• Feb 17/17 UNPX 122823, 123026, 123197 on 376
• Oct 14/17 UNPX 123034, 123362 + two others
• Mar 11/18 UNPX 123229, 123100 on 376
• Mar 28/18 UNPX 122911 on 377
• May 15/18 UNPX 122645*, 123104, 123017 on 377
• Jul 13/18 UNPX 122758 on 377
• Apr 16/19 UNPX 122832, 122942
• May 17/19 UNPX 122922 on 376
• Aug 27/19 UNPX 123055, 123235, 123888** on tail end of 376
• Aug 27/19 UNPX 122890 on 377
• Sep 15/19 UNPX 123067 on 376
• Nov 2/19 UNPX 123373 + one other on 376
• Jan 2/20 UNPX 123120 on 376
• Feb 4/20 UNPX 122838 on 369
• Jun 18/20 UNPX 122980, 123166 + three others on 376
• Feb 22/22 UNPX 123048, 123073, 123325 on 369
• Apr 3/22 UNPX 123647 on 369
• Aug 24/22 UNPX 123095 + two others on 377
• Sep 28/23  UNPX 123139 on 377 (below)

*5840 cu.ft. car

**5810 cu.ft. car

This photo of UNPX 123139 (above) shows the round roof hatches.

I unboxed my Rapido car today (above). Buying a Rapido product is always a Big Event for me, largely because of the cost vs. what I'm willing to spend on a model combined what I have already, and what I don't really need. But Dave Cook's bargain pricing turned the tide.

Shown with my previous Bev-Bel Athearn three-bay foobie on which I painted out the Union Carbide logo. So over-represented, as will be the Rapido 'Blue' 5820. The length of the Rapido car is evident. Rooftop view showing hatches:

My six year-old grandson, for whom I painted the CN vehicle, gave the new arrival the thumbs-up!

This car is BIG. I have a sharp curve between the interchange and the Outer Station. Though the car is several years past my modelled era, it will be seen in my CN yard as a car that keeps hanging around, waiting to be switched out to one of two plants in Kingston Township that received covered hoppers - DuPont and more likely, Northern Telecom.

Lots o' links:

• Rapido's unboxing video. Watch if you dare. Of course every modeller will want the Union Carbide or goofy blue one. Just like every modeller needs a SCLAIR!
• Pullman-Standard also produced 5820 cu.ft. cars.

Running extra...

The struggle is real. What we had to resort to before Rapido came on the scene 20 years ago. An online auction site photo of the first of the fleet, home-bashed '5820' from two Pullman-Standard covered hopper models. I don't think this would be rail-worthy, but at least it has four compartments! I like the custom built rough caption!

The arrival of VIA's Siemens Venture Set 18 came with a few anomalies this past Wednesday. Locomotive 2218 on one end and cab car 2317 on the other put those book-ended numbers out of sync again. Also, car 2817 is lettered 'Business Class'. And then there's that banana paint scheme. Thanks to Stephen Gardiner for sharing his photo of CN 5764-UP 6446 leading at CN Humber (above). The misaligned VIA logo is fortuitously foregone by foliage.

Railfans are concerned, suggesting a do-over and unleashing some VIAtriol, as shown in this curated cynical compendium of comments:

• That entire livery is a mistake. 
• It makes me irrationally irritated every picture I see of it.
• It looks like Brio wooden block toy train. 
• Same people who designed those seats came up with that ?
• The split VIA logo needs relocation on Charger.
• It looks 80% complicated. 
• If VIA's idea was to consume the leftover yellow paint from Brightline sets then I’d say well done.
• Would’ve looked better with the windows surrounded by blue instead of black.
• This looks absolutely terrible…. Who approved this? 
• At first I wondered if this was a deep fake.
• I love the idea but the execution is terrible. So pretty on-brand for VIA?
• Horrible looking! It looks as if someone just went over it with a yellow hi-liter!
• Need to rethink scheme on the Charger end.
• It's messed up.
• Get rid of the Maple Leaf. [This close to Canada Day?]