• Vents on Canadian Cars

  • General discussion about locomotives, rolling stock, and equipment
General discussion about locomotives, rolling stock, and equipment

Moderator: John_Perkowski

  by LoadLimit
 
I've noticed these air vents being added to many canadian cars, both Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. Could someone give me some insight as to what this is for?

Image

That is what I am talking about. Thanks in advance

Edited by a Moderator (correcting the link) 5-19-10 9:42AM PDT
  by John_Perkowski
 
Moderator's Note:

I'm the one who took the image URL and moved it to the first post of the thread. Now, anyone got an idea about the vents?
  by John_Perkowski
 
I just put a request for assistance in the CN forum. We'll see if that helps
  by Cowford
 
Wood pulp has a high moisture content and is often loaded hot. This creates a lot of condensate in the car, especially on cold days. The vents facilitate air circulation to vent off the humidity. The floors also have drain holes to evacuate excess moisture. Not sure what configuration in question is - some cars have roof vents, the downside of them being that they have a tendency to leak. Other cars are vented but it is less obvious. Many boxes today have exterior vertical side posts - these can double as vents as well.