Railroad freight cars?

Question

A friend of mine spottted a hopper with solar panels or what looked like solar panels mounted on ends of hopper car. Any answers for why the panels and use? He said hoppers looked like the same as coal cars and painted orange. The train was traveling north through Upper Sandusky, Ohio.

Answer 1

It a ballast train that unload rock using GPS system.

Answer 2

Keith,

Indeed, these same cars have been spotted rolling through West Virginia.  According to a member at Mountain State Rails, a group of train enthusiasts, they are used for "the computers that run the remote control dump function on the cars."

Answer 3

That is what is known as Herzog ballast hoppers, they are used for the GPS tracking system that maps out the route that the ballast is going to be dumped and it dumps automatically. It also knows when to stop dumping when it gets to bridges and crossings. Pretty neat technology if you ask me.

Answer 4

These are common on UP ballast cars also.