INT THE YARDS/CARPACK

 A look at some of the freight cars that pass through Hillsdale Yard...

A pair of well-worn boxcars sit in the yard, after returning from the paper mill. They carried scrap paper to the mill, now they are loaded with new paper products, including cardboard boxes.

An ex- Golden West Service car also sits in the yard, having also been loaded with paper products; in this case, paper towels.

A pair of cement hoppers sit in the yard, waiting to be picked up by a passing freight.

The first one is a leased GATX car, showing its age with the rust along the upper side.

The other hopper is a Blue Circle Cement car. They both delivered to Allante Ready Mix.

A trio of carbon black hoppers sit in the yard, after being picked up from Pete's Plastic. A large order for black sporks was the reason they were there. Note the roof of the first hopper is almost solid rust! It is obviously the oldest of the bunch, and was, in fact built nearly 20 years before the other two. It still has its as-delivered paint, which is why there is so much rust on the car after 40+ years.

A lone plastic pellet hopper sits in the yard. While it still has yet to receive the FRA-compliant conspicuity striping, is does have the modern scourge of vandalism on the side, along with rust streaks.