Greetings

We noted your inquiry regarding dealing with frozen product in rail cars. Perhaps you might consider our Surplus Thaw Shed. Previously used to thaw rail cars filled with copper concentrate in sub zero temperatures.

Please feel free to contact us for additional information.

Sincerely,

Al Goodmundson

Phone, Canada (306)-664-7260

Email: norsequip@sasktel.net ■

We've been here before.

Until railcar designers do a proper job & provide scowback floors ( like the dump trucks have) you will never get frozen material out of cars without a lot of aggro. There are less 'g's' involved in a railcar. With substantially open ended railcars you could then have near continuous discharge with a scarifier plough. Too easy & unfortunately too late.

Every winter, same problem. You'd think the clowns in the rolling stock departments would have cottoned on over the generations. ■

It is our experience that hydraulic vibrators can damage the cars.

Piston dovetail bracket (pocket) vibrators are known to work better and don't damage the cars.

See this case study with testimonial of a user at Lafarge.

http://www.navco.org/hopper-car-unlo...rce=bulkonline

We also have vibration solutions for rollover type dumpers, and overhead and side shaker models too.

http://www.navco.org/hopper-car-unlo...lkonline<br />

Hope this helps.

(PS - are you really on Eldridge in Houston? We're practically neighbors!! - We're off Tanner, you can come visit us anytime to see the equipment)

(832)467-3636 x118 ■

We provide covering systems for both rotary dump and hopper railcars. Our covers ensure the railcar and product is kept dry and this assists in easier unloading. Our covers operate in a wide variety of weather conditions in many countries. We have a selction of covering systems ranging from manual to fully automated. Please contact us for more information.

John Cruikshank

Ecofab Australasia

jrc@ecofab.com

www.ecofab.com ■

If you are interested the company I work for sells a product that will penetrate any product you have in the rail car frozen or dry. It will then keep the product flowing out the bottom with out the use of hammers and or vibrators. It will probe the car from above with one operator controling the probe and one opening doors.

I have helped companies go from two weeks of unloading one unit train to unloading the same number of units in two days.

If you are interested please give me an email and I will get in contact with you.

Erik Hopperton

erikh@npkce.com ■

Under our Railcar Dumpers we have provided a Rotating Hammermill which is fitted on top of the grizzly. We have installed these worldwide from US to Siberia. These work well in conjunction with either a thawing shed and/or vibrators. We have provided these as a retrofit on existing installations and on dumpers of other manufacturers. If interested I could get info for you on an installation near you.

Please check out our web site www.heylpatterson.com or contact me via email at hedelman@heylpatterson.com ■