Dear N Scale Customers;

Bluford Shops has announced the 2-Bay War Emergency Composite Hoppers

These 2-Bay War Emergency Composite Hopper cars were built during the Second World War with wood siding and slope sheets at the direction of the War Production Board in hopes of saving as much steel as possible for the war effort. This was especially the case with hoppers that were usually built with copper-bearing steel to resist corrosion. The car sides were built with the Pratt truss design using a combination of vertical and diagonal ribs.

Santa Fe took delivery of their GA-60 class hoppers from Pullman-Standard in the summer of 1943. After the war, many were assigned to sulfur loading at mines in Texas and California under the assumption that the wood surfaces would resist the corrosive properties of the loads. The sulfur was supplied to the fast-growing chemical industry.

Burlington Route built their 1,000 car fleet of 2-bay composite hoppers at their own Havelock, Nebraska shops in 1944. As was their custom, the paint scheme included “Way of the Zephyrs” on one side and “Everywhere West” on the other. Due to the rib arrangement, Havelock made special stencils for the mottos with different lettering angles for each side.

Southern Railway received this group of 1,450 hoppers from Pullman Standard in 1943. This was the second largest fleet of “War Emergency” hoppers, behind C&O’s 3,000 car fleet. Much of the coal loaded on the Southern was destined for factories and retailers in the Industrial Midwest via Southern’s connections in Cincinnati and Louisville.

Pennsylvania Railroad built 500 War Emergency Composite Hoppers in their Altoona Shops in 1942. They were slightly shorter than the AAR design but utilized the same Pratt truss system for the sides. They were designated class H31B. This run will be available in six new road numbers.

These ready-to-run N scale cars feature: die cast slope sheet-hopper bay-center sill assembly; injection molded plastic sides, ends, and hopper doors; fully molded brake tank, valve and air lines; body mounted brake hose detail; removeable load; body mounted magnetically operating knuckle couplers; close coupling; and Fox Valley Models metal wheels.

Order Due Date: October 22, 2021

Anticipated Delivery Date: Dec 2022

Looking for more Bluford Shops N Scale Hoppers? Click here!

Looking for more Bluford Shops N Scale Products? Click here!