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The Wiki page shows Arauco using Boxcars/Bulkhead Flatcars/Tank Cars. I know that tank cars with resin come from Bakelite (formerly Georgia Pacific) just down the tracks. Do they get anything else in tank cars?

And what travels in the boxcars and bulkhead flatcars (and is it inbound or outbound)?

I plan to add Arauco to my model railroad layout and need to info for operations.

Thanks!
Mike

I am not aware of anything other than resin arriving in tank cars.

They manufacturer a special line of particleboard and that is what gets shipped out. When they reach full production, it will be one of the largest, if not the largest, particleboard mill in the US with a capacity of over 600,000 tons per year.

Hi Don Simon!

So 600,000 tons per year - do we know how much of that will ship out by rail or will most or all of it ship out by rail?

If all particleboard ships out by rail, 600,000 tons per year divided by 260 days per year (taking out Saturdays and Sundays) = 2,307 tons per day. 2,307 tons per day divided by 100 ton center beams = 23 center beams per day. Now again, that's if all particleboard ships out by rail. Even if half ships out by rail, that's still almost a dozen cars per day out - that's great business for Lake State!

Thanks.

Particle board and center beams don't mix very well, sorta like water and particle board don't mix very well either. They can wrap it but I would assume that it will go out by boxcar. Much more weather resistant in a box.

Boxcars, ok thanks Doc. Please pardon my ignorance in the particleboard department. I saw (bing maps) a bunch of centerbeams on the new siding there at Arauco, hence my centerbeam assumption for shipping product out, but maybe the C.B.'s are inbound?

Ok, so 23 boxcars (assuming 100 tons each) then per day if it all ships out by rail, or about 12 per day if its half truck, half rail. Of course that would be a lot of trucks.

There are a couple people who video and post the LSRC trains between Saginaw and Flint several days per week. Based on their videos it seems there are 5-10 60' mostly hi-cube box cars (and a few standard height) per day coming south from Saginaw (those are the ones usually used in particle board service). Arauco is the major box car shipper up there. Weyerhaeuser ships too. Alpena Panel ships a couple a week. So Arauco is shipping 4+ cars a day or something like that.

David Lang wrote: ↑

Thu May 18, 2023 7:13 pm

Boxcars, ok thanks Doc. Please pardon my ignorance in the particleboard department. I saw (bing maps) a bunch of centerbeams on the new siding there at Arauco, hence my centerbeam assumption for shipping product out, but maybe the C.B.'s are inbound?

Ok, so 23 boxcars (assuming 100 tons each) then per day if it all ships out by rail, or about 12 per day if its half truck, half rail. Of course that would be a lot of trucks.

Summary so far:

Inbound tank cars with resin, exclusively from Bakelite.
Boxcars used to ship particle board to keep it dry.
Bulkhead and/or centerbeams still a question mark.

The center beams are loaded at the transload in Gaylord and at Straits Wood Treating in Bay City.

Bulkhead Flatcars are also loaded at Aruaco. LSRC acquired 30 new cars several years ago specifically for Aruaco service (per their Employee Newsletter)

michaelmuha wrote: ↑

Fri May 19, 2023 9:01 am

Summary so far:
Bulkhead and/or centerbeams still a question mark.

@Doktor No: Thanks for the video! The section at the end showing them loading particleboard and Prism TFL into boxcars is definite!

Now we just need to figure out what the bulkhead flat cars are for...

https://www.lsrc.com/wp-content/uploads ... letter.pdf
"On the equipment side, the first new railcars in LSRC history rolled off the assembly line at Freightcar America ’s Cherokee, AL facility. These cars are Bulkhead Flat cars, built for dedicated service with ARUACO in Grayling." Mike Stickel, EVP & COO, LSRC Newsletter, 2019-04b

michaelmuha wrote: ↑

Fri May 19, 2023 11:18 am

Now we just need to figure out what the bulkhead flat cars are for...

Saw that, but it doesn't provide load information.

In the videos I watch of trains between Saginaw & Flint there are usually one or two loaded bulkhead flatcars going south. Unfortunately, I cannot make out the writing on the wrapping.

michaelmuha wrote: ↑

Fri May 19, 2023 1:35 pm

Saw that, but it doesn't provide load information.

Come to think of it...I do remember more than a few covered chipboard loads for various customers. You can smell that Lincoln Log smell farther away! They are problematic to unload UNLESS you have an outdoor open track on both sides of the rail. Then again the way they load boxcars and the UNLOAD OTHER SIDE tags...we would have to turn the darn things for some customers...others didn't care, they just unloaded them anyway. Victor Barnes up off of Ann Street and the warehouse in the old Reynolds plant comes to mind.

michaelmuha wrote: ↑

Fri May 19, 2023 1:35 pm

Saw that, but it doesn't provide load information.

Probably just mositure resistant particle board.

Moisture-resistant particleboard - that makes sense!