Sorting through the pile of models that don’t come out very often I rediscovered a long hopper car (between 50’ and 55’ without a rule and against a covered hopper) with USL reporting mark.
It’s a 3 bay with three distinct but not seperate body sections that have gates centred over the rails lengthways to drop inside and outside the rails. There are clear platforms at each end with brake cylinders in the middle guarded by hand rails with a ladder that rises vertically then angles over to the top of the hopper body.
The model is slightly rough and very heavy. I’m pretty sure that it’s a white metal kit that has been hand painted. The handrails are good thin (brass?) wire.
I really like this car and will keep it for an MoW train on my shortline or put it in the local RR museum collection… that just happens to be on line so that I have an excuse for steam and anything else I like.
Anyone have an idea what this car is or who would have made the model please?
No idea on the manufacturer but from your description you are on the right track. Most cars with discharge chutes parallel to the rails are used in ballast work from my experience.
Your description of the interior and positioning of the hopper openings on the bottom indicates that it is a ballast hopper, designed to spread ballast on both sides of the rails as it travels down the line, so it would be part of a MOW train except when being sent to a distant location for loading.
That’s a ballast dumping hopper. I’ve seen them running in regular trains to and from loading and work sites. I’ve also seen them running as unit trains (Rock Runners) and mixed in with other MoW equipment.
Maybe an old Roundhouse kit, they did a lot of white metal. We have a couple in our collection of donated items at the where I volunteer. There were others that did similar in the 50s & earlier.
Definitely not home made. That was a kit from either Ambroid or Truscale - was sold as a bunkhouse on wheels. I have one around somewhere that I built prior to 1962.
They look like the bunk cars Union Pacific used building the transcontental RR across the plains. It must have been an interesting ride to be on the top floor during a move, not to mention in a crosswind during a thunder storm!
