N CR 40' HOPPER #878860

CONRAIL

PROTOTYPE INFORMATION:

For the first half of the 20th century, bulk goods were usually bagged and carried in boxcars. After the late 1940s, covered hoppers greatly simplified the process by allowing the bulk material to be poured in through the roof hatches and dumped out the hopper bays. However, flour, starch, sugar and plastics do not “flow” easily from a standard hopper bay.

To solve this problem, the Fuller Company of Catasauqua, PA, patented the Airslide concept. In an Airslide covered hopper, the bays are formed into two narrow, steep-sided troughs with a layer of air-permeable material at the bottom. Air is pumped through the material causing the lading to fluidize and flow easily through the hopper outlets.

Starting in 1953, General American Transportation began building Airslide covered hoppers. One of the two original configurations was a 2,600-cubic foot, single-bay car with a 70-ton capacity. In addition to railroad-owned cars, there were a number of Airslide covered hoppers leased by GATC to sugar and bakery companies.

MODEL FEATURES:

Three road numbers
Early GATC Airslide body: no angled end gusset plates; channel-section vertical posts at bolsters
Detailed underbody including outlet piping
Rectangular or oval shaker brackets
Gravity or gravity-pneumatic outlets
See through metal roof walk
Factory installed wire grab irons and brake piping
Separately applied round roof hatches and brake wheel
Roller bearing or Bettendorf trucks
Fully-assembled and ready-to-run out of the box
Accurately painted and printed
Highly detailed, injection molded body
Machined metal wheels
Weighted for trouble free operation
Body mounted McHenry® operating scale knuckle couplers
Clear plastic jewel box for convenient storage
Operates on all popular brands of track
Minimum radius: 9 ¾”

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - SMALL PARTS! NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER 3.