--- In STMFC@..., Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:

SP served the world's largest deposit of diatomaceous earth in
California, and that stuff was shipped all over the world. It
has many uses -- including its key use in DYNA-mite.

Tim O'Connor

Here is some diatomite (diatomaceous earth) info from the late 1940's:

Although Oregon, Nevada, and Washington were producing small amounts,
California was the largest producing state, with the largest quarry
located near Lompoc. Both the Johns-Manville Products Corp and the
Dicalite Division of the Great Lakes Carbon Corp appear to have worked
this deposit, with Great Lakes Carbon also working the second largest
deposit in the state near Walteria.

Uses were grouped as follows: (1) filters, more than 1/2; (2) fillers,
1/3; (3) insulation, 1/8; (4) lightweight aggregate and abrasive.
Filters for all types of liquids are made in several varieties for
various specific purposes. Powdered diatomite is used in fillers
where a chemically inert lightweight mineral is needed. Insulation
materials include saw brick and manufactured pressed brick. Natural
and calcined aggregate are also made and sacked. Metal polishing
abrasives and dental powders are minor uses for "insignificant" amounts.

Processing of the diatomite was done at the quarry. Natural brick was
sawed and kiln dried; pressed brick was manufactured and fired;
aggregates were made and sacked. Sounds like mostly boxcars to me for
the brick and sacked products, although no further mention is made of
the filtration market.

Great Lakes Carbon trucked the material from Lompoc to Walteria where
it was processed with material from the mine located there.

John Hile

Hello all
Read your post on diatomaceous earth. I'm modelling
the ESPEE coastline between Santa Barbara, and
Guadalupe, including the Lompoc branch circa 1964.
I chatted with someone who worked the branch in the
sixties, and he told me that it was shipped mostly in
boxcars.I noted that the title of this chat was about
western hoppers. ESPEE ,like the other western
roads,had large fleets of GS gons That did the work
that hoppers did in the east.I'm sure some of ESPEE's
hoppers did stray east. I never saw many hoppers out
on the coast.
Charlie Burns
--- John Hile <john66h@...> wrote:

--- In STMFC@..., Tim O'Connor
<timboconnor@...> wrote:

SP served the world's largest deposit of

diatomaceous earth in

California, and that stuff was shipped all over

the world. It

has many uses -- including its key use in

DYNA-mite.

Tim O'Connor

Here is some diatomite (diatomaceous earth) info
from the late 1940's:

Although Oregon, Nevada, and Washington were
producing small amounts,
California was the largest producing state, with the
largest quarry
located near Lompoc. Both the Johns-Manville
Products Corp and the
Dicalite Division of the Great Lakes Carbon Corp
appear to have worked
this deposit, with Great Lakes Carbon also working
the second largest
deposit in the state near Walteria.

Uses were grouped as follows: (1) filters, more than
1/2; (2) fillers,
1/3; (3) insulation, 1/8; (4) lightweight aggregate
and abrasive.
Filters for all types of liquids are made in several
varieties for
various specific purposes. Powdered diatomite is
used in fillers
where a chemically inert lightweight mineral is
needed. Insulation
materials include saw brick and manufactured pressed
brick. Natural
and calcined aggregate are also made and sacked.
Metal polishing
abrasives and dental powders are minor uses for
"insignificant" amounts.

Processing of the diatomite was done at the quarry.
Natural brick was
sawed and kiln dried; pressed brick was manufactured
and fired;
aggregates were made and sacked. Sounds like mostly
boxcars to me for
the brick and sacked products, although no further
mention is made of
the filtration market.

Great Lakes Carbon trucked the material from Lompoc
to Walteria where
it was processed with material from the mine located
there.

John Hile

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