Grain door eases unloading

C.N.R. low loss grain door. Paper board panels close the openings in the bottom frame.

A type of door for railway grain cars which will speed unloading, prevent loss of grain during transit and effect considerable economies has been developed by the Canadian National.

The new low loss grain doors, expected to go into general use in the near future, have successfully passed exhaustive tests and will become standard equipment for C.N.R. grain cars. An initial order sufficient to equipment 2,000 cars has been placed by the railway's purchases and stores department.

The door consists of four wooden fillers and a frame section, each 15 in. high and 7 ft. long. These are separated by five ribs. The number of sections used, however, may vary with the height of the car or the size of the grain load. The chief difference from the standard type door is the frame section, located at the bottom of the door, which has three paperboard panels.

Bulging eliminated

The standard door consisted of three wooden sections, each about 30 in. high. When cars were unloaded manually, it often was necessary to smash the doors with axes to relieve grain pressure. The low loss door remedies this. To unload the car, workers have only to puncture the paperboard. Grain flow is easily controlled to be bagged direct from the car, if desired. It is only necessary to insert new paperboard in the lower frame and the door is ready for use again.

Loss of grain during shipment through bulging of the door under grain pressure is practically eliminated with the new door. Tests have shown a maximum deflection of only 3/8 in. as compared with the older type door with its deflection of as much as 4 in., the maximum allowed by the car's outer door.

Other features of the low loss grain door include greater strength, longer life, easier handling due to smaller sections and easier and faster coopering of the cars.

The increased life span of the new door is also expected to effect economies by reducing the number of new doors required each year. In 1950, the C.N.R. purchased approximately 145,000 of its type E doors for use on its lines.

Railways: C.N.Rys.

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