During World War I, the US railroads experienced a critical equipment shortage due to increased traffic needs. This 55 Ton Hopper Car was one of the body types designed by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) to relieve this shortage. Built in 1918, 25,000 of these cars were primarily assigned to the great coal-hauling roads of the east and mid-west. The car design was very successful and later became one of the standard cars of the American Railway Association. Panels were added to the original design when the cars were rebuilt to replace the original side sheets.

Features Include:

• Die-cast centerbeam and chassis
• Wire grab irons
• Die-cast stirrups
• Opening, sprung hopper doors
• Die-cast Andrews trucks
• Prototypical painting and lettering
• Die-cast articulated couplers with trainline detail (3-Rail)
• Scale die-cast couplers and 33" wheelsets (2-Rail)
• Minimum diameter curve (3-Rail): O-31
• Minimum radius (2-Rail) : 24"

Four road numbers are available per road name