Q.
Are plastic pellet cars always unloaded outdoors, or do
some customers use an enclosed dock?
A.
Unloading depends on the processes involved and the final
product. Molded plastic products like water pipes, or food grade
piping for food processing plants, have to be protected from con-
taminants, so pellets would be unloaded in an enclosed build-
ing. Debris can also damage production machinery that requires
close tolerances.
Open unloading is more common. Tracks will often have a shed
to protect hoses, pumps, and valves. In cases where the factory
using the pellets is some distance from the siding, pellets will be
pumped into tote containers that can be trucked to the factory.
Many manufacturers use the rail car as storage and unload pel-
lets only as they are needed for production.
A factory with on-site rail service and loading facilities indoors
may only have room for one car inside at a time, so it would
need regular switching service or make some other arrange-
ment, like having a Trackmobile available to move empties and
loads around.
– MRH
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