PC: Florida Tile covered hoppers

["David Benn" <bennsden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A question from Japan!

   Years ago, ~1984, I bought some old revell(?) PS-2CD covered hoppers at
a show to add to the collection of the recently re-released Robins Rails
hoppers.  One private shipper scheme was for Florida Tile, which I
considered prime for stripping and repainting in a more prototypical
scheme.  A few years later on a trip to upstate NY on the xNYC line to
Montreal, what did I find but more than a dozens Florida Tile hoppers.  The
paint scheme was the same but it was applied to ACF centerflows.  The
location is not exact, somewhere north of Watertown and still south of
Canton NY at a repair facility(?)  It was open air, didn't appear to be a
transloading area but couldn't stop to take a closer look.

   Could they have been used in transporting feldspar from Canada to points
south?  Was the Florida tile company actually in Florida, or where were the
actual plant(s).  I assume they were used for movement of feldspar similar
to industries similar to the one modeled last year in MR that is near
Gettysburg PA.  On my chances to get back to the states, I have often seen
blk CP script cylindricals spotted there.

   I would appreciate any knowledge someone could share on this, it's
difficult to solve any such mysteries from the other side of the world! 
Thanks in advance.

Dave