Multiple batch system and method for loading railcars of a wide range of capacities and designs

A train loading system for loading successive railcars of a moving train with respective car target weights of particulate material, said system capable of accommodating railcars of a wide range of capacities and designs, and said system comprising:

• a surge bin;
• a weigh bin positioned below said surge bin, said weigh bin having a maximum available capacity as well as a maximum target capacity for a non-precision-charged batch, the maximum target capacity for a non-precision-charged batch being less than the maximum available capacity, and at least one transducer connected to said weigh bin for measuring the weight of said weigh bin and particulate material contained therein, said at least one transducer having a weighing transducer output;
• a controlled and staged charging gate with selective opening sizes for selectively charging both precision-charged and non-precision-charged batches of particulate material from said surge bin into said weigh bin;
• a loading chute positioned below said weigh bin for conveying particulate material from said weigh bin into the railcars;
• a controlled discharge gate for discharging particulate material from said weigh bin;
• and
• a controller connected to said transducer output for determining the weight of said weigh bin and particulate material contained therein, connected to said charging gate for controlling the charging of said weigh bin, and connected to said discharge gate for controlling discharging from said weigh bin, said controller operable,
• to at least initially calculate the number and individual target weights of batches in order to load the railcar to the car target weight based on an initial weighed batch having a weight at least approximately equal to the maximum available capacity of said weigh bin, a final weighed batch sized no larger than the amount of particulate material that can be precision-charged into said weigh bin in the time it takes to completely empty said loading chute, and zero or more intermediate weighed batches sized no larger than the maximum target capacity of said weigh bin for a non-precision-charged batch,
• as an individual railcar approaches said loading chute, to open said charging gate and then close said charging gate in stages, while monitoring said weighing transducer output, so as to precision-charge said weigh bin with the initial weighed batch of material,
• to open said discharge gate, and then to close said discharge gate when said weigh bin is empty, so as to discharge the initial batch from said weigh bin through said loading chute into the railcar,
• if one or more intermediate weighed batches are required, while material from a previous batch is flowing from said loading chute into the railcar, to open said charging gate, while monitoring said weighing transducer output, so as to non-precision-charge said weigh bin with each intermediate batch of material, to open said discharge gate, and then to close said discharge gate when said weigh bin is empty, so as to discharge each intermediate batch from said weigh bin through said loading chute into the railcar,
• while material from a previous batch is flowing from said loading chute into the railcar, to open said charging gate and then close said charging gate in stages, while monitoring said weighing transducer output, so as to precision-charge said weigh bin with the final weighed batch, the weight of the final weighed batch being what is required to reach the car target weight after the initial and any intermediate weighed batches are weighed and loaded into the railcar, and
• to open said discharge gate, and then to close said discharge gate when said weigh bin is empty so as to discharge the final batch from said weigh bin through said loading chute into the railcar.