Beginning in the late 50s, wood chips went from something to be disposed of to a valuable commodity. Since wood chips are less dense than coal, gravel and other hopper loads, many railroads added high extensions to standard hoppers for this service. The extentions were simple affairs, either rib sided or flat sided that were welded to the top chords of standard hoppers. Like our coal hoppers, these N scale models will come ready-to-run with knuckle couplers, and loads.. First draft artwork is show here and is subject to improvement by our crack research staff!

Soo Line Offset Side Wood Chip Hopper with Rib Side Extensions. Soo Line adopted this lettering style in 1951 although at the time, Soo Line was just their nick-name. Their full name was Minneapolis St Paul & Sault Sainte Marie. In 1960, they merged with Wisconsin Central (already a Soo subsidiary) and Duluth South Shore & Atlantic to form Soo Line Railroad - a nick-name no more. This road name will be available in 6 road numbers: