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| PHOTOS; Lime Line (1571891) | |||
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PHOTOS; Lime Line |
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Posted by kp5308 on Wed Mar 24 20:51:15 2021 A line of brand new Amtrak ballast hoppers was on the Dyers Quarry siding at Gibraltar a few weeks back posing for me to do a detailed photo shoot. Remember the days when revenue service equipment was demoted or modified for MOW service before retirement? Not any more! These cars are state of the art so let's take a look at some of the features Amtrak selected. But first, some views of the lettering on the cars:     The hoppers are outfitted with a Miner Solar Powered Stand-Alone Electric AggreGate system. Solar panels on the B end and a larger single panel on the "C & D" side of the car feed storage batteries mounted on the center sill between the discharge chutes:  Also on that side of the car is the larger solar cell. I couldn't find any specs or manufacturer information on these panels:  The "A & B" side of the sill has the remote control receiver gear for operation of the electrically powered discharge chutes via a hand held controller. From right: Miner Power Brace Controller Box...Ameresco Solar Storage Battery Box...Cattron Remote Control Receiver Pack (2 boxes):  Electrical piston detail show the top 2 control inside the rail discharge and the bottom 2 are for outside the rail. IMO that is a lot of open cable that can get damaged:  Instructions for remote and manual operation of the system are posted on both sides of the car:  Along with safety reminders:  For more information scan this:  "Builder's Shot" of the "A & B" side show pretty much a standard design modern ballast hopper:  The "B" end has the 2 smaller solar panels at top right of the hopper with the air reservoir below and a protective housing for the brake valve below that. Standard modern brake wheel on the left:  Empty "A" end has platform to top of hopper ladder manufactured of steel L beam stringers and drop grab irons. I don't think they are called "irons" anymore but I don't know the new term if there is one. Also note the 2 piece support made of slightly different sized (from the ladder beams) L channel for the end sheet:  One last observation based on the last image: note how much of the car is bolted together |
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