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Western Maryland Cement Hopper 5282
On May 1, 2004, a friend brought me to see WMRY Covered Cement Hopper 5282 in
the oddest of places. 5282 serves without trucks up on a permanent
mount alongside a C&O covered cement hopper on private property at a
shop in Mt. Savage Maryland. For me, this was the highlight of the trip and a
great surprise. My thanks to Gerald for bringing me to see yet another piece of
WM history.
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Covered hopper 5282, part of the 5251 to 5288 series, is a Western Maryland
L0 (system Class C-20) cement hopper build in 1941 by ACF as part of order
2262. The hopper had a capacity of 154,000 lbs, a load limit of 168,400 lbs, a
light weight of 51,600 lbs and a maximum load on rails of 220,000 lbs.
The doors were operated by Enterprise openers. The length is 32' 2 5/8" over
the strikers, and 33' from end to end of the roof overhang. The length from
corner to corner on the virtical supports is 31' 1 1/8". The interior
length is 26' 3 5/8". The exterior width is 10'4" exterior and 9'8" interior.
In the photo below, notice the "C-2" classification. The official data book
diagram and specs for this car list it as a class C-20. It is possible that the
"0" wore off, the car was reclassified, the data book mislabled or the car
mislabeled. Given that the C-20 data book diagram accurately represents this
car (none of the other diagrams fit it), I am comfortable assuming that the
data book is correct.
In the photo below you can clearly see how the hopper is supported in the
factory. This higher than normal elevation allows us to see some details not
normally seen. At this time, I am making the dangerous assumption that any
material painted gray is original WM, or modified original WM.
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