Hey, what kind of rail cars are these?

"KatzManDu" (KatzManDu) 08/16/2016 at 12:37 • Filed to: None

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The photos were shot from the passenger seat.

They look like a convoy of cement mixers on rails.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > KatzManDu 08/16/2016 at 12:51

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You might have to get a closer look, are they the cars built for a purpose or is it old machinery they are transporting? They are strange, something specialized if it’s the car itself.

Azrek > KatzManDu 08/16/2016 at 12:53

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Called a Torpedo Car.

Designed to hold Pig iron, mostly.

Wiki:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Torpedo car

A torpedo car or bottle car is a type of railroad car used in steel mills to haul molten pig iron from the blast furnace to begin the process of primary steelmaking .

The thermally-insulated vessel is mounted on trunnions , and designed to endure extremely high temperatures, as well as keeping the metal in a molten state over extended periods of time. The vessel can be pivoted along its longitudinal axis to empty the pig iron into a ladle . The name is derived from the vessel’s resemblance to a torpedo .

iSureWilll > Azrek 08/16/2016 at 12:57

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The vast amount of knowledge on here amazes me sometimes...

Ash78, voting early and often > Azrek 08/16/2016 at 12:58

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Wow...thanks. I live in an old steel city, but have never seen or heard of these before. I could be wrong, but most blast furnaces were located on site and I suspect it's because of the hassles of moving something so heavy, heat-intensive, and dangerous.

Azrek > iSureWilll 08/16/2016 at 13:00

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I’m the bizarre engineer in my office full of business majors or political science majors. I occasionally get wheeled out to discuss Chemistry or other issues for entertainment...

Azrek > Ash78, voting early and often 08/16/2016 at 13:06

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Not sure, but those cars are in Belgium...I think....based on the language. I’ve seen some in the US, but they are rare in today’s era of Chinese products.

KatzManDu > Azrek 08/16/2016 at 13:14

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Yes, that’s outside Liege, Belgium. I was on the way back home from Nurburgring. Every time we travel out east on E42/E40 you go past them. I don’t think they’ve moved in years, but I had no idea what they were. Thanks, all!