[N Scale] Microtrains to do N&W twin hopper Runner Pack

[NW Modeling List]

MT is doing a N&W twin hopper runner pack.

http://www.micro-trains.com/cs-norfolk-western-runner-pack.php

I was hoping they wouldn't repeat the same mistakes of
past runs on these. I've sent them considerable info
in the past about what classes would best match their
twin hoppers.

Past runs have been lettered class HL, but in the post
1951 24" N&W scheme, which is a bit of a logical
disconnect, as the entire HL class (fishbelly BTW) was
rebuilt into class H9 hoppers starting in the late
1940s ending in the early 1950s.

Indeed the illustrations on M-T's site indicate class
HL, the 39XXX number series was built in 1939. This
series was renumbered into a different number series
(60000-65814) when rebuilt (to a significantly
different appearance as shown above) in the early
1950s. The rebuilds of HL class hoppers started in
1949 and lasted into the mid 1950s. A total of 12,128
HL hoppers were rebuilt into H9, totally eliminating
the HL class by 1957.

M-T's peaked end hopper is a closer match for the
Class H9 and Class H7 hoppers than the Class HL.

Typical Class HL Hopper (Atlas fishbelly is a good
match) in 1930s - 1950 scheme:

http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns1954.jpeg

H9 Hopper in 1950s - 1963 scheme:
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2107.jpeg

H7 Hopper in 1950s - 1963 scheme:
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2099.jpeg

H9 Hopper in 1963-1970 scheme:
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2105.jpeg

The sad thing in this is that Atlas already makes a
pretty accurate model of the N&W HL Hopper (shown here
in the 1930s-1951 scheme which probably is what nearly
all of them wore until rebuilt in the visually
different H9 class):

Atlas N 55T Fishbelly:
http://www.atlasrr.com/Images/NFreightCars/nfishbelly/41018.jpg

proto:
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns1954.jpeg

Heavy credit to Andrew Dow's N&W hopper book and the
Image Database at Virginia Tech:
http://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/index.php

Sorry for boring most of you with this - I'm a bit of
a hopper nut!

And maybe next time M-T will do some research, or
maybe I'm just nuts ... ;)

Mark Peele
Catonsville, MD


       
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