Bluford Shops N 63185 2-Bay War Emergency Composite Hopper, Nickel Plate Road #31716

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.

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 and St. Louis.

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