Hi All, Wondering if someone knows where I might find some early wood coal hoppers for my N&W. Can be RTR or (hopefully) kits. Any help appreciated. Keep the great pictures coming they sure do inspire. Hope to get some of my own out there in the near future. Thanks!
Wouldn’t we all. Depends on what you mean by “early” and what scale. The N&W had wooden hoppers in the 1890-1910 era.
The bad news is that the major model manufacturers have all but abandoned that era. There hasn’t been a new plastic model of a wood car produced in the last 30 years and has never been a mass produced model of any common wooden coal car model of any design for any road in HO. There have been numerous laser cut wood or resin “craftsman” models made, but none of them are wood coal cars.
Westerfield sells a couple varieties of early steel cars that would be appropriate for the late 1900’s into the 1920’s.
Westerfield also sells a PRR GG wooden hopper, that isn’t like the N&W classes, it is a wooden hopper.
Dave H.
Thanks Dave, Yea, I guess I should have been a little more specific. I’m looking to model Percival’s Island yard in HO and I need a couple for the coaling wharf. While not an absolute necessity it sure would be nice to have a couple. Thanks
What era?
If its the 1880’s to about 1910, the N&W had a lot of drop bottom gons, you could use a couple Labelle gon kits and come very close.
Dave H.
In looking through the 200 or so N&W hopper images that I have digitized, it looks like you’re in luck: the N&W had a LOT of Seley hoppers, which were all-wood construction. These ran through WWII at least. Best of all, Funaro & Carmelengo has had a model of these cars available for YEARS:
While not an exact match, it’s as good as you’re going to get without scratchbuilding.
All wood.
Hmmmm.
What type of wood were they using for the channels and underframe? Ironwood? 
But seriously this is one of those inbetween cars from the WW1 to 1940’s that was a transition between wood car and steel car, having steel underframe and structural parts and wood sides. Note also that the N&W has arch bar trucks, and is restricted (by the time of the photograph) to on line cinder service. Also note the yard tracks don’t have tie plates! The 1905 ORER doesn’t show any cars in that series in service, it actually doesn’t show any hopper cars at all, only drop bottom gondolas and hopper bottom gondolas.
Dave H.
There is one of these models for sale:
Mark
Ambroid made a 1 in 5000 kits of the N&W wooden hopper car, these went later to Northeastern Scale Models and finally to Gloor Craft. Gloor Craft does not have a website so I cannot determine if these wooden kits are still available.
Rick
At least you HO guys have a couple of choices. I don’t know of any in N scale from that era. Micro-Trains (I think it was them) made some war era composites, but thats as close as you get, unless you could that nasty one that Bmann had in the old time series…but it’s too old.
Of course we really don’t know how old is too old or how new is too new since craigster new has really told us what era or date range he is looking for.
Dave H.
Well Orsonray hit the nail on the head. Heck he even posted the correct photo. I’m new to Forums so I have’nt figured out how to post photos yet. Yea I downloaded a ton of pics from VA’s database too. Unfortunatly all are black and white so I have no idea what color the shop buildings on the island might have been. As far as the era Dave I would say the last 10yrs. of steam on the N&W. Prior to 1955. At any rate, Thanks for all the tips!!
Sorry, normally early means pre WW1, 1900 or earlier.
There would be no wood hoppers in interchange service in your era. The closest would be “war emergency” cars built in the mid 1940’s that were of composite construction, steel truss and underframe, wood sides.
Dave H.
Very true…hoppers were some of the first cars to go to steel construction.