Richard Hendrickson said:

Coil steel was shipped in open gondolas without weather protection. I've
seen numerous photos of such shipments.

Richard is entirely right. And contrary to John N's assumption, weather
protection really isn't vital for most coil uses. These coils are going to
be processed further by the recipient, and superficial rust isn't very
important except in cases where a "finished" surface is on the coil, e.g.
for appliances (these coils are often wrapped with something anyway). There
are those in the steel industry who say that coil car hoods are mostly
cosmetic. But I must admit, given all the hassle railroads deal with to
continue same in service, there must be SOMEONE out there who doesn't think
so--maybe the marketing guys?
The one situation for which weather protection could be valuable would be
the recipient who isn't going to use a coil right away (more and more rare
today). In that case, water inside the coil will go on rusting right inside
your warehouse--in fact faster than when it was out in the weather because
it's probably warmer indoors--or in your storage yard.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2942 Linden Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 http://www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@signaturepress.com
Publishers of books on railroads and on Western history