Hoppers on a Roll: Center-Flow Hoppers from Menards Railroads have freight cars for super-sized loads, special cars for liquids, and plain old boxcars for cargo in crates. But what do they use for granular cargo? Material that might range in size from grains of sand, to crops like wheat or corn, or industrial products such as fertilizer, soda ash, or even plastic pellets? This is where the center-flow hopper shines! Today?s hoppers are an evolution of 19th Century open top coal cars. They had open tops for loading, high sides for storage capacity, and multiple hatches down below for rapid emptying. The American Car & Foundry modified the concept a bit, rounding the sides outward for increased capacity, adding multiple topside hatches for speedy loading. The car also utilizes a single channel to route material to the discharge hatches.
