Aug 2010 Announcements

Erie Lackawanna received 1,000 of these hoppers in 3 groups from Greenville beginning in 1965. EL used them in bituminous coal and iron ore service. They differed from the original NYC design in that many of the attachment points that called for a weld were riveted on the EL cars. Despite their 1965 construction date, these cars were delivered with friction bearing trucks. Erie Lackawanna became part of Conrail in 1976. This roadname will be available in 12 road numbers. 14131 single car $21.79; 14132 2-Pack $43.58; 14133 3-Pack $65.37; 14136 6-Pack $130.74.

Prior to their major expansions beginning in 1993, Kansas City Southern along with subsidiary Louisiana & Arkansas consisted of a 1,700 mile system linking Kansas City with the Gulf of Mexico at Port Arthur, Texas and from Dallas to New Orleans. KCS’s freight car lettering practices were modest, but the size of the 9,000 car combined KCS-L&A car fleet made them a common sight across the country. In recent years, KCS acquired MidSouth, Texas-Mexican and took control of major routes in Mexico. This roadname will be available in 3 road numbers. 73261 single car $21.79; 73262 2-Pack $43.58.

The Georgia Railroad received this group of hoppers from Greenville in 1952. The 330 mile Georgia Railroad linked Augusta with Atlanta and Macon. The Georgia controlled the West Point Route roads running west all the way to Montgomery and Selma, Alabama. In 1983, Georgia Railroad was rolled into Seaboard System. This roadname will be available in 3 road numbers. 73271 single car $21.79; 73272 2-Pack $43.58.

The Bessemer & Lake Erie linked the Bessemer-Pittsburgh area with the Lake Erie docks at Conneaut (pronounced Connie-ott), Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania. The vast majority of the B&LE fleet was hoppers which were used to move iron ore south from the lake docks and coal north. Much of this material moved to industry on connecting lines making these iron-red cars a common sight around the entire region. This group of 5,000 B&LE hoppers featured a 90-ton capacity but were largely indistinguishable from 70-ton cars. This roadname will be available in 6 road numbers. 73281 single car $21.79; 73282 2-Pack $43.58; 73283 3-Pack $65.37.

Illinois Terminal. For most railroads, the transition era of the 1950s meant the transition from steam to diesel operation. For the Illinois Terminal, transition meant much more. ITC moved from being an electrified interurban line with significant freight traffic (and some steam power) to being an all diesel powered all-freight line. Also during this period, some major Class One carriers in the St.Louis area (B&O, C&EI, CB&Q, GM&O, Litchfield & Madison, IC, NKP, Frisco, and Wabash) jointly purchased the ITC to provide a neutral terminal railroad in the St. Louis area. The Illinois Terminal mainline ran northeast from St.Louis to Springfield where the line split for Peoria, Bloomington, Decatur, and Danville. In total, the ITC operated more than 400 route miles in Illinois. In 1981, the Illinois Terminal was merged into the Norfolk & Western. This roadname will be available in 6 road numbers. 73291 single car $21.79; 73292 2-Pack $43.58; 73293 3-Pack $65.37.

The 110 mile Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo operated in the ithsmus between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie west of Buffalo and south of Toronto. For most of its history, ownership was split between New York Central (later PC) and Canadian Pacific. After the collapse of Penn Central, CP took sole ownership then finally merged the TH&B in the mid-80s. TH&B served the heavily industrialized region around Hamilton, Ontario and sported fairly heavy traffic levels. This roadname will be available in 6 road numbers. 73301 single car $21.79; 73302 2-Pack $43.58; 73303 3-Pack $65.37.

Rio Grande received these quad door cars from Pullman Standard in the Summer of 1966. They were initially assigned for loading at a GM plant on the Pennsylvania RR in Indianapolis. Rio Grande had no assembly plants on line, but since they served as a bridge route for traffic between plants, they joined the appropriate multi-railroad equipment pools. This roadname will be available in 3 road numbers. 87161 single car $29.85; 87162 2-Pack $59.70.

Grand Trunk Western received these quad door cars from Pullman Standard in the Summer of 1967. This was prior to their adoption of “The Good Track Road” motto adopted in response to the deterioration of key competitor Penn Central. Initially, these cars were assigned for loading on the GTW in Flint, Michigan for delivery to GM assembly plants in other states via connections. This roadname will be available in 3 road numbers. 87151 single car $29.85; 87152 2-Pack $59.70.