Model Railroading > BN Ballast Hopper

Overloaded BN ballast car. The model is a Atlas Hart Ballast car. I added the Trains Canada trucks with the converted journals.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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Journals are nice. The model isn't bad either.

Thank you for sharing, where are the trucks from? I have a few cars that could use a set. 

Mike ONeill
Parker, CO

The trucks were from the now defunct Trains Canada.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/20 09:49 by funnelfan.

That gravel load line is far from the top of the hopper.  Should have collapsed the truck springs.  Ha!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/20 09:53 by tomstp.

mcdeo Wrote:
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> Thank you for sharing, where are the trucks from?
> I have a few cars that could use a set. 

The Trains Canada trucks aren't available anymore, but Rapido makes similar trucks now.

https://rapidotrains.com/products/ho-scale/accessories/ho-scale-70-ton-trucks-retrofitted-w-bearings

Yes, he qualified by saying it was overloaded. IIRC, at least from photos from the steam era, these cars were only loaded about half full because of the weight.

tomstp Wrote:
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> That gravel load line is far from the top of the
> hopper.  Should have collapsed the truck springs.
>  Ha!

BN in the 1970's used 2 bay 55-70 ton wood side hoppers from the sugar beet fleet to haul ballast for all the track work going on. They were loaded to a peak above the top sides of the cars. These were timetable restricted and clearly stencilled as Rear End Only. There is an exemption to REO if the entire train is REO cars. BN would build a train out of Guernsey, WY with 75-90 overloaded composite 2 bay hoppers and wonder why the center sills and bolsters were failing and causing derailments even though the REO cars were in compliance with placement restrictions. Never mind there were 6000-7000 trailing tons behind the first dozen or more REO cars.

Trainmasters used to get really pissed off when a crew pointed the facts out to them. "Well, the rules allow it....." Out of town you would go.

fbe Wrote:
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> BN in the 1970's used 2 bay 55-70 ton wood side
> hoppers from the sugar beet fleet to haul ballast
> for all the track work going on......

Sounds like typical shenanigans on the railroad. Thanks for sharing that! LOL!!!

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR