LAKE OSWEGO, OREGON, U.S. — The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. has unveiled a newly designed, covered hopper railcar made specifically for grain. The covered railcar features the Tsunami Gate, which Greenbrier describes as a “state-of-the-art door and hatch system that permits shippers to customize the discharge speed of grain.”
Greenbrier said the railcar has a capacity of 5,185 cubic feet and is shorter than most traditional railcars, which allows for more railcars per fixed amount of track.
- Other design features of the new railcar include:
- longer hatches for improved filling efficiency
- rounded stiffeners for stronger sides
- automated loading for improved worker safety
- aerodynamic performance for up to 53% reduction in drag
“A shorter, higher-capacity covered hopper railcar with the Tsunami Gate is a long-awaited and highly valued product for grain shipping customers,” said Peter Jones, vice-president of engineering at Greenbrier. “The new design increases worker safety by automating the unloading process, and it optimizes space on the tracks. By shortening the length of traditional grain railcars by more than five feet, while maintaining the same cubic volume, the result is less fuel consumption, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower overall operating costs for our customers.”
The new railcar will be unveiled at Railway Interchange 2019, scheduled for Sept. 22-25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
