After a five year break, the Bluford Shops N scale converted wood chip hoppers are making a triumphant return. As the timber industry discovered new uses for wood chips (they had been burning them as waste,) the railroad industry hurried to develop a means to haul them economically. By adding extension boards to standard 70 ton coal hoppers, many roads were able to take on this traffic. Some railroads preferred flat side extensions made from steel or composite (steel and plywood) while others preferred rib-sided extensions.

These ready-to-run cars feature: diecast slope sheet-hopper bay-center sill assembly; injection molded plastic sides, ends, and hopper doors; fully molded brake tank, valve and air lines; slope sheet braces; separately molded vertical brake rod and lever assembly; body mounted brake hose detail; chip load; body mounted magnetically operating couplers; close coupling; friction bearing or roller bearing trucks as appropriate for each road name and Fox Valley Models metal wheels. All road names are produced in multiple road numbers. Order a single and one each of the multi-packs to get all available road numbers. (if you order 3 singles for instance, they will all have the same road number so get a single a 2-pack and so on.)

In 1964 Boston & Maine purchased a modest fleet of used hoppers, added flat steel extensions and assigned them to wood chip loading. As the New England region’s largest railroad, Boston & Maine relied heavily on traffic for the paper industry. This group of B&M cars lacked the specific routing instructions as seen on our first B&M run and could be loaded anywhere as needed.

Order Due Date: December 2, 2019

Anticipated Delivery Date: June 2020