Ballast! A commodity that is rarely discussed, yet plays a pivotal part in the upkeep of any railroad’s infrastructure. Many railroads simply used older open-top hoppers to carry and “dump” ballast along their right-of-ways. In the mid-1970s, National Steel Car (NSC) designed and developed a welded open-top hopper specifically for ballast service, complete with four bottom chutes to spread the rocks along the rails. CN and CP purchased these cars in volumes, under the 1978 Government of Canada Branch Line Rehabilitation Program. Fleet numbers were also an identifier of these cars as well as their Branch Line Rehabilitation stencil and many continue to wear those to this day.
This is a free model found on Thingiverse, Cults3d and CGTrader.
excellent communication. Fast international delivery. well packed, great price. good all round. thanks
I bought this thinking it didn't have a motorized drive mechanism, but it turned out I was mistaken—it actually comes with a DC drive system. I removed the motor and gears and am running it as a towed vehicle for the "A Unit." It’s an average product—nothing special but nothing bad—so I’ve given it three stars.
I think it is well-made. I am very satisfied with how it runs. The sound was a bit lacking, though, so I gave it four stars.
