I have 2 unpainted 3 bay panel side hoppers that I would like to get painted. I have looked extensively all over the internet and found nothing. Anybody know what roads had these?
Thanks
Do you mean a panel-side hopper like this (but with three bays)?
Or are you referring to an offset-side hopper, such as this (but with three bays)?
I’m not aware of any three-bay panel-side hoppers, so I can’t offer any info on that. However, there were lots of American roads owning the three bay offset-side hoppers (specifically the 1935 AAR version). They included:
ACL
ATSF
B&O
BAR
C&O
C&S
CASO
CB&Q
CBC
CGW
CIL
CMO
CNW
DC
DSO
DT&I
DUX
GA
GTW
ITC
KCS
L&A
M&StL
MI
MP
NOT&M
NYC
P&LE
RI
SAL
SOO
SOU
T&NO
WLE
In Canada, CNR, CPR, TH&B, ONR, PGE, AND R&S owned similar cars.
The Canadian cars were covered in the October and November 1994 issues of Mainline Modeler, while the U.S. versions were dealt with in the February and March 1995 issues. I have the first three magazines, so if you choose a road and need to know the correct number series, send me a PM (Conversation).
Wayne
Pictures of said rolling stock will help tremendously.
Pete
I thought I remembered a car like this but when I looked in my files, it tuned out to be a Missouri Pacific gondola.
46’ 45 ton panel-side blt 1942 by Pressed Steel Car Co.
10 panels each side, straight side
scratchblding article Mod RRer Aug 1953 p.34
nearest N model for kitbash: Lima/AHM/Model Power 3060
pix IGN #15116 Route of the Eagles: MoPac in the Streamline Era,
by Greg Stout p.15; car is
here are some pics
Looks like Bowser 100 ton w/ the interior bracing. But is that painted/ primed that way or unpainted brass?
yes, just like this with three bays.
tarnished brass.
Probably the reason that you can’t find info on the cars is because those panel sides were offered, in the early or mid-'30s, as an option for re-building rib-sided hoppers (specifically the two-bay USRA-style cars). I tried searching for prototype info and drew a blank as far as 3-bay cars were concerned. I did learn that the replacement panels (prototype) were from an outfit called Union Metal Products Co. and also that Rails Unlimited is/was offering replacement panels to fit the O scale Intermountain rib-sided hopper. Unfortunately, clicking a link to that firm resulted in “Not Found”. I thought that they may have had some info on prototypes which they could share.
I have an article somewhere on 2-bay cars re-built with panel sides - if I can find it, I’ll see if there may also be some mention of 3-bay cars.
Wayne
Captain.
I too could not find anything on the 3 bay or 3 door panel side hoppers. The PRR did have some converted H31 hoppers with panel sides but they were 2 bay 60 ton capacity and very short lived. I imagine that the inability to repair them easily without a complete panel replacement was a good reason to not duplicate them in numbers. Most of the later 3 bay hoppers were 70 to 100 ton capacity made of flat steel sheet.
Instead of a railroad owned car think about a private car. Berwind, United sheet, US Steel, and many others would have their own cars. Some of them would not be a standard car but instead built to the private companies specifications.
Another idea that was a reality was that the car companies would do demonstrators just as the locomotive makers. Pressed steel car company trying to sell the bubble side panels did a demonstrator that toured around several railroads.
Pete
I know it does not help much but here is a picture and drawing of the GLf.
http://prr.railfan.net/diagrams/PRRdiagrams.html?diag=glf.gif&sel=hopp&sz=sm&fr=
Pete
Well, I’ve been through all of my Mainline Modeler magazines, with no sign of that article. [banghead] However, I did locate a couple of pages, in the August 1989 issue, on C&NW re-built panel-side hoppers. These were four-bay cars and apparently there were 500 of them re-built, so there definitely were versions out there other than the more common two-bay designs. I’ll keep looking.
Wayne
This was my thought as well. They will be serving a company called Southwest Concrete and Aggregates which exports limestone and imports cement in covered hoppers. So lettering these for SWC&A to carry limestone is a distinct possibility. I’d prefer to keep them prototypical but could go either way.
Thanks a lot for all the help. You guys are great.
If you do them as private cars, the reporting marks would more likely be SCAX, with the “X” denoting private ownership.
You could also use reporting marks for a leasing company, but also add lettering for the aggregate company, much like the tank car shown below.
Wayne