Hoppers

OverviewA 3-bay cylindrical hopper car is a type of freight railcar used for transporting bulk materials such as grains, coal, ores, and other granular or powdered commodities. It is specifically designed with three separate compartments, or bays, within...

OverviewA 3-bay cylindrical hopper car is a type of freight railcar used for transporting bulk materials such as grains, coal, ores, and other granular or powdered commodities. It is specifically designed with three separate compartments, or bays, within...

OverviewThe Coalporter is one of the latest evolutions in the more-than-150-year history of the American coal hopper. But technically speaking, it's not a hopper. It's a high-sided gondola, because it lacks the bottom-opening doors that characterize a...

OverviewAlthough covered hoppers had achieved widespread use by the 1950s, it wasn’t until the following decade that they began to carry North America’s grain harvest. Prior to the mid-1960s, U.S. and Canadian farmers had sent their wheat and other...

OverviewGeneral American Transportation Corporation produced more than 5,000 4180 cubic foot Airslide covered hoppers between 1963 and 1980 as a response to customer demand for larger covered hoppers capable of handling bulk commodities. These very...

OverviewGeneral American Transportation Corporation produced more than 5,000 4180 cubic foot Airslide covered hoppers between 1963 and 1980 as a response to customer demand for larger covered hoppers capable of handling bulk commodities. These very...

OverviewUnlike equipment that carried a variety of loads, like boxcars, flatcars, and gondolas, this four-bay hopper was designed specifically for one cargo: bituminous coal. Its capacity matched the volume of coal that a pair of typical 70-ton freight...

OverviewUntil the advent of the covered hopper, bulk commodities like grain and cement were packed in sacks and loaded into boxcars. Loading and unloading was a tedious, time-consuming affair. In the 1930s, a few railroads took the basic coal hopper...

OverviewThe early 20th century saw a steel boom, but transporting the vital ingredient - coke - was a messy, inefficient affair. Open-top gondolas spilled precious fuel, while bottom-dump cars were slow and cumbersome. Enter the Coke Hopper: a...

OverviewUnlike equipment that carried a variety of loads, like boxcars, flatcars, and gondolas, this 3-bay hopper was designed specifically for one cargo: bituminous coal. Its capacity matched the volume of coal that a pair of typical 70-ton freight...

OverviewUnlike equipment that carried a variety of loads, like boxcars, flatcars, and gondolas, this two-bay hopper was designed specifically for one cargo: anthracite coal on railroads of the eastern seaboard. Its capacity matched the volume of coal...

OverviewUnlike equipment that carried a variety of loads, like boxcars, flatcars, and gondolas, this two-bay hopper was designed specifically for one cargo: anthracite coal on railroads of the eastern seaboard. Its capacity matched the volume of coal...

OverviewUnlike equipment that carried a variety of loads, like boxcars, flatcars, and gondolas, this two-bay hopper was designed specifically for one cargo: anthracite coal on railroads of the eastern seaboard. Its capacity matched the volume of coal...

OverviewUnlike equipment that carried a variety of loads, like boxcars, flatcars, and gondolas, this 3-bay hopper was designed specifically for one cargo: bituminous coal. Its capacity matched the volume of coal that a pair of typical 70-ton freight...

OverviewUnlike equipment that carried a variety of loads, like boxcars, flatcars, and gondolas, this 3-bay hopper was designed specifically for one cargo: bituminous coal. Its capacity matched the volume of coal that a pair of typical 70-ton freight...

From the 1960s through the 1990s, railroads ordered large fleets of 100-ton capacity hoppers. Often used in solid unit trains, these cars were a common sight on the rails for decades. While most wore simple paint schemes, there were a few standouts, and...

From the 1960s through the 1990s, railroads ordered large fleets of 100-ton capacity hoppers. Often used in solid unit trains, these cars were a common sight on the rails for decades. While most wore simple paint schemes, there were a few standouts, and...

From the 1960s through the 1990s, railroads ordered large fleets of 100-ton capacity hoppers. Often used in solid unit trains, these cars were a common sight on the rails for decades. While most wore simple paint schemes, there were a few standouts, and...

From the 1960s through the 1990s, railroads ordered large fleets of 100-ton capacity hoppers. Often used in solid unit trains, these cars were a common sight on the rails for decades. While most wore simple paint schemes, there were a few standouts, and...

Lionel's cars feature realistic molded in details for added durability and lower costs making it easy to build a long coal train of your own with seven road numbers available per scheme. Plastic bodies with added metal weights ensure good tracking even...

"Rusty but Trusty" Freight cars see many years of hard service and it shows. Advances in printing have given us the ability to give you more complex and artistic deco schemes than ever before. So why not weathering?! These cars all feature...

With materials rationed during the war and the demand for coal as high as ever, car builders made do and produced steel hoppers with wood sides to meet the demand on time. Following the war, many of these cars would have the wood sides replaced with...

Common from the 1960s to the 1990s, these 100-ton hoppers formed the backbone of many railroad's coal hauling fleets. In small groups or unit trains, you'd be hard pressed not to see some of these on your favorite line. Made of die-cast construction and...