Appropriate-ish cars for a PC/CR coal train?

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Sooo, for my next silly obsession – sorry, I mean project – I think I’d like to do a coal train appropriate for Penn Central and maybe early Conrail (so, 1968 to 1978 or so).

I don’t care about being 100% prototypical; plausible is what I’m going for. And I like a little randomity in my trains, rather than that nice clean uniform look.

I am trying to do this on a budget, and I don’t want fragile cars, so I’m looking mainly at old Roundhouse, Athearn BB, Bowser kits.

From what little I know about coal cars, 34’ two-bay cars would not be appropriate for my train, but 40’ 3- and 4-bay cars would. It looks like some of the PRR-specific Bowser hoppers would work. I’m thinking cars painted for PRR, NYC, PC and CR would be appropriate, and maybe some Erie Lackawanna on the CR version.

Thoughts? Other road names/cars I should include? Am I way off on car types?

Thanks!
Aaron

2

Here is family tree for Conrail, its predecessor roads and their family trees. Hope this helps.

https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/conrail-merger-family-tree/

3

Don’t remember PC or Conrail having many (any?) 4 bay hoppers.

Many H39 and H43 hoppers.

Reading and Erie Lackawanna.

4

Here’s a few photos to help:

http://pc.smellycat.com/pics/equip/hoppers.html

Bowser has some H21 models. From what I gather, toward the end of their careers they were not interchanged but that was OK for P-C as they used them in dedicated service and M-of-W.

https://www.bowser-trains.com/history/h21history.html

And a little more background here:

http://prr.railfan.net/freight/classpage.html?class=H21

PRR Hopper Car 747803, Industry, NY by Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, on Flickr

Good Luck, Ed

5

Ex-PRR class H21 reclassed to Penn Central class H5 4 bay open hopper, total of 602, approximately 543 made it to Conrail.

Then you have ex-NYC lot 887-H, PC #404194 a two bay open hopper that made it into Conrail along with ex-NYC lot 942-H, PC #410206 a two bay open hopper.

6

Great info, thx – and interesting to know there are legit two-bay hoppers.

My goal here is to have a coal train Ito run at our club/museum… though all the different cars is going to make loading a bear!

BTW, Ed, cool to see that pic from the Rochester museum – I used to volunteer there! Painted the trucks on LV211. I looked at the photo album and was very pleased to see the GE centercab from Beebee Station. I was a weekend DJ at WMAX in the early 90s, and her sister unit (#1950, also at the museum) was parked right behind our building. Somewhere I have a bunch of photos of her. What a small railroad world!

Aaron

7

Want randomity? Try PPLX (Pennsylvania Power and Light). Not sure what scale you are looking for, but Bowser made a few in HO Scale.

You can do a search on rrpicturearchives or railcarphotos for proto pics

Terry

8

Plus you can run one of those handsome brown and gold PPL cabin cars!

https://www.mountvernonshops.com/products/ho-penn-central-pp-l-cabin-car-decals

Cheers, Ed

9

10

Lot 942-H is not a standard 2-bay hopper, these were extra large 2 bay hoppers with a 65 Ton Capacity versus the 50-55 Ton of a regular two bay hopper. These need to be kitbashed from a 3 bay 100 Ton hopper car. I used a Con-Cor Greenville 12 Panel Hopper for my kitbash.

Here is a comparison of the 65 Ton and 55 Ton hopper cars.

Here is the kit I started from.

Put together

Rick Jesionowski

11

*@*dti406, Nice work on the tall two bay hopper. That one will give the OP an odd ball car for his era.

12

I love you guys, but seriously, you’re like drug dealers sometimes.

Aaron

13

As late as 1976 two pocket hoppers were showing up in PC/CR trains. Some reporting marks:

C&I (Cambria & Indiana R.R. Co.)

BWC (PC via PRR from Berwind White Coal)

TOC (PC via NYC)

Edited to add:

P&S (Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad)

14

Excellent! Thanks again for the help – I am on my way with my train, more news on the General Discussion forum…

Aaron