Co-op/elevator owned hoppers

Do grain elevators still own their cars anymore? I'm interested in knowing more about the history behind that trend, which as far as I know really no longer is the case. Still, I see many of them out there mainly Co-ops in Iowa, Nebraska and others, but more and more are getting painted over.

Outher farmer owned companys that own cars that I know of are AGP, FGDA, Aurora CO-OP, Iowa CO-OP, Nebraska CO-OP, Canadian Wheat Pool, Foster Farm, Government of Alberta Grain, and Government of Saskatchewan Grain Corporation, and Washington Grain Train.

I thought I replied to this, but I don't see it... anyone, I think I asked what are the "Iowa Co-op" and "Nebraska Co-op" cars? I see ones with specific towns- Klemme, Chapin, Benedict etc... which is what I was referring to, but nothing that general. I've seen newer AGP cars, but that's a pretty big company. However, cars like FGDA, that I've seen, usually have some other company's reporting marks.

FGDA Cars have diffrent reporting marks on them yes cars are leased to the them. The name FGDA is owned by the farmers them selves same as AGP.

Washington Grain Train is a farmers owned company cars are owned by the state and provided to the farmers only in the state of Washington to insure that there grain gets to markit.

Iowa CO-OP Cars are owned by RREX (or Rex Rail Car Leaseing). Iowa CO-OP is owned by the farmers in that state. Same gos for Nabraska CO-OP cars. Anouther group of Farmer owned cars is Colorado Farm Growers Assoication Board Cars are owned by PETX and leased to the Farmers Its a small company in Northeast Colorado They had a few hundred cars at one time but I think there now broken up into sevral outher CO-OP's
My ex Girl Friend was a member of that Farming board.

So, you are saying that while there are still a lot of individual co-op cars floating around (Klemme, Woodward etc), there's a new batch out there owned by RREX. I'm assuming that these cars don't have full lettering of the Co-op on them like the old ones. dwh

Companys like RREX own hundreds of rail cars as to what types and how many I do not know. I have seen lots of covered hoppers here and there some were or are preowned cars from outher leasers or railroads them selves who are selling off there older cars in favor of new cars. The Pink Iowa hoppers are leased to the varyed garin shippers what some leaseing companys do is lease as many cars needed by a certen shipper and the leaser is allowed to have there reporting marks on the car.

For exsample a BNSF Covered hopper may apear to be owned by BNSF becuse of the reporting marks and number. In reality the car may be owned by ACFX and leased to BNSF for lets say 10 years. This can be set up as a renew at the end of the lease or rent to own deal eather way the railroad or the leaeing company maintaines the car. If the railroad or company no longer needs the cars the leaseing company leaseing the car simpley changes the reporting marks back to there own or finds anouther company who needs cars to move product.

If you go west of Hays, Ks on I-70 there is an SW type switcher spotted at a siding named Yocemento. I just happened to notice it on my way home. This is very unusual since for years, there were not many major terminals or small elevators needing one out here
wess

Most small grain elevators have use a frount end loader to push cars about there complex. There are a few that also have small Hy-Rail's on there grounds as well. I rember the local Agway here in my hown town befor they leveled it mad there own hy-rail out of an old Gradall which they cut the frame in half and shortened it to a mear 10 feet. One of the oddedest looking Hy-Rails that Agway had in Lyons, NY was an Old Speeded in which they made into a Hy-Rail as well I have picks of both of these intresting critters as well as the new Hy-Rail that ended up at the Lyons Agway which looked like an undergound mine trackter with a coupler mounted on one end of it.