Models
ARHS/Accurail HO LNE rib side 50 ton hopper
The Prototype
Between 1911 and 1951, the LNE rostered 1,723 50-ton hoppers in the 3001-4723 series that were very similar to the later 1918 USRA standard design. The LNE cars were slightly smaller: 6" shorter and 8" lower, giving a capacity of 1670 cu ft vs 1880 for the USRA design.
Photo circa 1939 by Charles Schrade, from the
ARHS archives
Photo circa 1932, photographer unknown, from
the collection of Wayne Sittner
The Proposed Model
While there is unlikely to ever be an exact plastic model of this LNE hopper, the Accurail USRA hopper provides a very good stand-in with less than 3/32" discrepancy in HO scale, and we hope to be able to provide it as an ARHS special run. The model would be provided unnumbered, with a decal sheet containing at least 10 car numbers as we have done with previous hopper offerings.
The major hold-up on the project is preparing accurate artwork for printing on the car. In particular, the lettering on the 5th panel on the cars in both the above photos is fairly prominent, but unreadable. We don't want to leave out that lettering, but we can't quite make it out, even in the highest resolution scan from the negative. If you have another photo of these cars, or other information that would help with the lettering, please contact ed (at) lvrrmodeler (dot) net.
| Hopper | IL | EL | EH (top of sides) | Cu Ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LNE prototype (1913) | 30'-0" | 31'-6" | 10'-0" | 1670 |
| USRA prototype (1918) | 30'-6" | 31'-11" | 10'-8" | 1880 |
If a model of the USRA hopper becomes available in N scale, that would also be a candidate for a special run project.