While railfanning last fall, (2009) I saw in a UP consist a jet black covered hopper with a gold badge on it celebrating a 75th anniversary of something, (not NMRA BTW). I don't recall the reporting marks, all I can recall is the jet black color with gold badge standing out. Of course I didn't have my camera! Why do you think I saw it? It never fails does it? Maybe someone saw it and had a camera, if so how about posting a shot? 2slim
There are a bunch of them around Blair NE at the Cargill plant. some of them say TTX 75th anniversary. The few I have seen have the badge around the 75. The cars seem to be trinity 5161's or something of the like. Others are TILX 570000- EMPYREAL 75 dependability plus.
I see those come through on the MRL sometimes, never on grain trains but in the middle of regular manifest trains.
Some of these cars as well as tarped BN, GGPX, SBTX bethgons etc. seem to be in captive service at this cargill lactate plant. I the tarped bethgons haul feed, on railcar photos a guy shot several of the cars from up here in Wichita, KS. Probably going further, sorry to sort of take over the thread...
Found it. According to the folks at railroadforums.com (and the links they provided), Empyreal 75 is a specialty corn meal product made by Cargill and used in dog food.
Great detective work guys!! Awesome, I knew I wasn't dreaming! TwinDad, Wouldn't that Dalmatian graphic, (from the Empyreal 75 site) look awesome on that car? JMO Maybe Micro Scale will do decals 2slim
So they haul bow-wow chow? I wonder if there is someone in the Pacific NW using that product, such that I might be lucky enough to spot one of these on the old GN High Line some day? Boxcab E50
Well this is neat, I had the info just about right, was working from my blurry distant picture. Was trying to type trinity etc. with the Empyreal and didn't think to just type in Empyreal 75.
2slim: Yes, yes it would. Maybe not on a black/gold car, but that Dal certainly would look nice. Boxcab: Not exactly. Apparently this Empyreal 75 is some kind of corn meal or corn byproduct that is a component in dog food, but is not actually dog food. I'd imagine the dog food is bagged at the factory and shipped in boxcars or (gasp!) semis. MRL: Yes, you were so close you could smell it.
Guess these cars are not hauling to many dog food plants in the east. I can tell you that all the dog food plants I have been to get raw materials via rail and semi and all the finished goods go out on trucks. Some does go intermodal. One other thing I can tell you too is if that car was at the pet food production plant, you would know it in an instant. Being that close is like opening a bag of dry dog food and sticking your head in it times 10. Just an awesome smell. Wet dog food plants are even worse.
