Bluford 63181 N Nickel Plate Road NYC&St.L Bay Emergency Composite Hopper #30930

These 2-Bay War Emergency Composite Hopper cars were built during the Second World War with wood siding and slope sheets at the direction of the War Production Board in hopes of saving as much steel as possible for the war effort. This was especially the case with hoppers that were usually built with copper-bearing steel to resist corrosion. The car sides were built with the Pratt truss design using a combination of vertical and diagonal ribs.

These ready-to-run N scale cars feature: die cast slope sheet-hopper bay-center sill assembly; injection molded plastic sides, ends, and hopper doors; fully molded brake tank, valve and air lines; body mounted brake hose detail; removeable load; body mounted magnetically operating knuckle couplers; close coupling; and metal wheels.

Nickel Plate Road ordered this fleet of 1,000 2-bay composite cars from Pressed Steel Car in 1923. All-steel hoppers had been the standard for more than a decade but NKP took the composite route to avoid projected steel shortages. NKP began applying this paint scheme after the car's first decade of service. The NYC&St.L is a reference to Nickel Plate’s full name, New York Chicago & St. Louis.

Note: Pictures may be of another Road Number.