Throw Back Thursday - Procor Built Plastic Pellet Cars

by Keith MacCauley  

Burgeoning plastics production in the 1970’s drove the demand for large volume AAR Class ‘LO’ covered hopper cars. Existing import duties and taxes compelled Procor to design and build their own plastic pellet covered hopper car. Visually a clone of the exterior ribbed Pullman Standard 5,800 cu. ft. car, the Oakville built car was nonetheless distinct, and featured functionally improved ‘TOGGLE-LOCK’ pneumatic outlet gates. Following a one car prototype built in 1976, Procor Oakville (Ontario) would subsequently manufacture some 1,600 pellet cars, a portion of which were built as sale cars for Dow Chemical (DCLX) and Union Carbide (UNCX). During a frenzied tank car build period in 1980/1981 Procor would share their design drawings with National Steel Car (NSC) who supplied some 200 plus LO’s marked with DCLX, UNCX and UNPX reporting marks. While larger volume/higher GRL LO’s have largely usurped the home built cars, several dozen UNPX LO’s soldier on in plastics transport as originally envisioned. As testament to their durability, many more continue in the service of subsequent new owners; both with plastic pellet payloads and in some cases bulk commodities having been modified with gravity outlet gates. As the ultimate honour, the Procor built plastic pellet car has been replicated in H.O. Scale!