Re: Unloading with one chute

The drop bottom gons that SVRR procured from the WP&YR had a latch on each door that would hold the door closed while others were open. They did not seem to have chains to restrict the opening size. With the ratchet mechanism in the lowered position doors could be opened by hitting the latch hard with a 2-1/2 lb. hammer. With no restriction on the out flow you had to be quick to jump out of the way. And yes, we heard stories of these cars tipping over when one side was released. I did consider that when I was in the car loosening the pit run material, which had somewhat solidified.

People in the photo are L-R Jerry Huck, yours truly, Scot Hutton, Alan Somerstrom, and Cindy Christy.


The long pipe, actually an old boiler tube, shows the effort required to manipulate the doors. It didn't help that we were working on a steep side slope.

You can why we needed the long tube; Alan stands about 6'4" and can barely reach. J.B. (Bret) Bane was in the cab of #3 that day but the photo isn't clear enough to recognize the three people to the right.