Using hopper cars for transporting bulk cargo by rail

In rail transport, a significant part of the transportation cost is the rental of rolling stock. Cars should not be idle. Ideally, an arriving car should be unloaded immediately, loaded with new cargo, and set off again. To speed up loading and unloading operations for different types of cargo, different cars have been developed. Bulk cargo is transported by hopper cars.

What cargo is sent by hoppers and where

The English word hopper means bunker. Rail hoppers are bunker cars. Unloading from hoppers occurs automatically under the weight of the cargo. For this purpose, there are special unloading hatches at the bottom of the car. This type of rail rolling stock is specifically designed for transporting bulk cargo:

• Grain.
• Ore.
• Coal.
• Other bulk cargo.

Without transshipment, the delivery of cargo by hoppers is possible within countries that have the same railway gauge. Through delivery by hopper is possible across the territories of all countries that were previously part of the USSR. That is, such transport is possible not only between Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, but also across the territories of the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Design and types of hoppers

The shape of the hopper car body resembles a funnel, wide at the top and narrowing towards the bottom. This shape ensures quick unloading of bulk cargo through hatches at the bottom onto the track or to the side of it. There are two main types of hoppers:

• Open.
• Closed.

Open hoppers transport cargo that cannot be damaged by atmospheric precipitation: coal, pellets, coke, etc. There is no roof on the car, and loading occurs from the top. If a hopper is loaded with hot cargo (pellets, etc.), it must have a design in which the body is not rigidly connected to the frame. Such a design prevents the body from warping. These hoppers are unloaded on both sides of the tracks. The hatch opening system is usually remote-controlled and operated from the locomotive cab.

Closed hoppers have a roof and hatches that can be closed. Loading is done through the upper hatches, and unloading through the lower ones. Unloading can occur on the track or to the side of it. The control of hatch opening can be manual or remote. Such hoppers carry technical carbon, cement, and grain crops.

There is also a type of hopper called a dispenser. They are designed for transporting and unloading ballast onto the track. These are materials for filling the upper part of the railway embankment. Dispenser hoppers not only dump ballast onto the embankment but also level it.

What affects the cost of transportation

The length of the route, weight and volume of the cargo, type of hopper are the main factors affecting the cost of a one-time transportation. If the transportation is international, transit customs duties will also need to be considered. The cost of one-time transportation is relatively high. It can be reduced by renting a hopper car not for each trip, but for a certain period. This is how companies that regularly ship bulk cargo operate.