The covered hopper cars illustrated here are in both private and railroad ownership. The largest owner in the United States is General Electric Rail Car Services Corporation. Its cars sport many reporting marks, such as ABTX thru WPLX.

Big seems to be better, as 110,000 lbs. was the limit for cars in the early days, and today, cars having a limit of 200,000 lbs. and more are the norm. At present, we see complete trains dedicated to grain service, hauling America's harvest to ports for export. Blocks of hoppers are seen enroute to industrial sites or grain elevators, loaded with products that will wait for the call of market demand.

Methods of loading and unloading are varied. Due to Federal regulations all cars have roller-bearing trucks. The average weight per car is 200,000 lbs., and average length 60 ft.. Covered hoppers can be found everywhere in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Except for intermodal, stack trains and auto racks, covered hoppers are found on every freight, in single blocks or whole trains. Their wide range of usage finds them being spotted one at a time, in groups, or by the hundreds, at ports, or at companies such as ADM etc..