The much-anticipated Transverse Ultra Fast-Flow Coal car (the TUFF car) celebrates the very best in design and performance.
Engineered to the highest standard, its rugged styling and commanding presence are the result of a hybrid construction of carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum.
The through centre-sill design and a mechanically fastened body that stands over 13½ feet tall and 53 feet long makes this one massive coal car.
Operating at a gross rail load of 286,000 pounds, the TUFF car demands 100-ton trucks and a conventional 10 by 12 body-mounted braking system.
With a total of five giant hoppers, this monster car has a ferocious appetite for coal. It consumes 4,220 cubic feet "at level" and 4,650 cubic feet "with heap," giving it the unique distinction of best-in-class payload.
But the big story is the automatic bottom discharge system.
The TUFF car can give up its entire payload in seconds, making it the fastest discharge coal car in the industry, another great example of National Steel Car design.
While the competition relies on 16 doors to release payload, the TUFF car requires only 10.
These specially designed transverse doors, five per side, automatically open together, allowing for the ultra-fast flow of coal.
And not only do the automatic doors open quickly, they are also self-sealing, an exclusive patent-pending feature we call TUFFseal.
TUFFseal is designed to interconnect the sides of the door with the chute in a unique configuration. This means doors can't pop open and coal can't leak out.
Here's the kicker—the more payload pressure on the door, the tighter the seal.
And there's more. The doors are self-cleaning and do not require adjustment.
With the highest load capacity in its class and fastest unloading time in any class, this is one coal car with a performance presence to be reckoned with.
Model
Coal: Transverse Ultra Fast Flow - the TUFF car - 4,650 cubic feet