Bluford Shops N 63177 2-Bay War Emergency Composite Hopper, Monon #40048

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.

Monon ordered this group of 250 hoppers from Pullman. But, these were not "War Emergency" hoppers. They were built in 1925. In fact they were so robustly built that they managed to evade Monon's post-war purge of older freight cars and could still be found in service in the 1960s.

Features:
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
Fox Valley Models metal wheels