Richard Hendrickson wrote...it seems about a year ago:

I've never seen any photographic evidence that Hart Selective ballast
hoppers or the similar cars with dump mechanisms by Enterprise and other
mfrs. (which I assume are the cars you're talking about) ever went off
line, regardless of who owned them. So I'm as skeptical as you are.
There's evidence that some RRs (e.g., the UP) sometimes hauled coal in
them,

Actually, from the photographic evidence that's available...and there's a
bunch...UP used these cars quite often to haul coal. Seldom will you see

hoppers carrying coal to a coaling tower without side dumping cars in the
group. In fact, in one of Terry Metcalfe's UP Modelers...I think...he
mentioned that, of the 5 or so hoppers present in a photograph, there were
five different variations of hoppers...several being side dumping. In
addition, UP used them to haul sugar beets. This occurred along the Front
Range north of Denver. I'm not really certain about where the beets were
processed...I know damned well it was not on Sherman Hill...so I can't say
for sure where they traveled. Knowing UP during the '40/'50 time period,

would not surprise me at anything they put in one of these

cattle. No, no...I have no proof.

Mike Brock


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