Rapido Trains Inc. N Long Barrel Ore Hopper, CN (6) – #1

This train plied the rails from two mines owned by Dofasco in Northern Ontario to their facility in Hamilton, Ontario. At first glance the cars look like a shrunken cylindrical hopper. The reason for the round shape and covered hatches was to keep the processed iron-ore pellets from becoming frozen or damp with moisture, which would aide in a quicker unloading process. They also came in two varieties: A 35′ “Short” version (Built in 1967) and a 42′ “Long” version (Delivered in two batches in 1973 and 1975). The later cars were designed with a longer wheelbase, as the original 35′ cars spanned the same length as the stick rail underneath, causing undue wear. Also unique is the “tire” that sits on top of the hatches. At the loadout, the tire comes into contact with a “scroll” that forces the hatches to open – taking two minutes to cycle a car or roughly an hour and twenty minutes for a unit train of 40 cars. Most times one would see CN and ONR cars mixed in each consist.