Patent ID: 8549997

Claim:
A compacting system for compacting particulate matter in open-top railroad gondola cars rolling on rails, the compacting system comprising: a first compacting station adjacent the rails, a second compacting station, and a third compacting station; a scanning system that scans each of the gondola cars as said gondola cars move along the rails toward the compacting station, said scanning system transmitting data of each gondola car to an electronic control system; and the first compacting station having a first compaction member configured to contact an upper surface of the particulate matter in each of the gondola cars; the electronic control system controlling said compacting station so that the first compaction member engages with and applies force to the upper surface of the particulate matter in each gondola car so as to compress said particulate matter in each gondola cal; wherein the first compacting member includes a first generally planar plate structure engageable with the particulate matter, the first plate structure being operatively associated with a vibration system imparting vibration to the first plate structure as the first compaction member compacts the particulate matter; wherein the second compacting station includes a second compacting member including a second plate structure, the second compacting station engageable with the upper surface of the particulate matter; wherein the third compacting station includes a third compacting member including a third plate structure, the third compacting station engageable with the upper surface of the particulate matter, and wherein the plate structures of each of the compacting members are supported sequentially relative to the rails with the first plate structure compacting the particulate matter to a first height, the second plate structure compacting the particulate matter to a second height lower than the first height, and the third plate structure compacting the particulate matter to a third height that is lower than the second height.