I am searching for 12, short wheelbase, covered hoppers. 34 footers would be ideal. Am looking for a source of HO kits–but not seeing any. Suggestions welcome.
Bowser makes 2 Bay Hopper Car Kits. You might also see if you can find the 2 Bay Hoppers in the Atlas Trainman RTR Series.
A few to look for would be
Walther’s single bay airslide Cv Hop (kits are sometimes available on eBay, otherwise I think OOP)
Athearn 2970 Cv Hopper (2 bay RTR, not a kit)
Intermountain 2 bay Cv Hop (Nice kit, lots of detail but not as nice as the Athearn
Eastern Car Works kits
Kato Cov Hopper kits (hard to find in good road names OOP)
Those are a few that come to mind. The Athearns are by far the nicest cars on the market.
The nicest covered hopper is Kadees ps-2, not a kit though, but the details the finest. mike h.
All the above recommendations are good.
I really like the Bowser two bay hoppers, I’ve assemble several from kits and have found that their fit & finish are first rate. They look good even next to my Athearn 2970 RTR car.
Mark Gosdin
You should still be able to find the old MDC-Roundhouse cov hoppers as kits, although I’m not sure if Athearn offers them as kits or only RTR??
Thanks for your suggestions.
How about the Tichy (or are they Gould) USRA hoppers. They have their Anderson hoppers which is the USRA with a cast resin one piece cover. On the prototype they were a canvas cover that was added so they could transport grain without the hopper being open. the Tichy kits are is a craftsman plastic kit, and not a shake the box kit. I think I started seeing them in about the 60s, and I believe Andersons got them from the Wabash.
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR
My fleet consists of Bowser and MDC/Roundhouse kits. I like the fit, finish and detailing of the Bowser kits much better. The Bowser kits are generally available in 3 to 6 road numbers at a time, with new numbers used for each run.
Here are the two latest Bowser additions…
Nick