# Coal Hoppers: How big are they?



## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

OK

I've aquired just about every MDC 2 bay hopper I know of.

My plan has been to stay with moderate size motive equipment and model the late 40s through the early 60s.

Then the IAIS RR painted a GE ES44 in the Rock Island Rocket paint scheme and I couldn't get having a Dash 9 with this paint scheme out of my head.

So now I have this humongous diesel and nothing to haul behind it.

So, being a former coal miner, I'm looking to pull a string of coal cars behind this baby.

My question is, what is out there that is the right size to match up with the Dash 9?

Aristo Craft has their 100 Ton hopper car.

USAT has their 70 ton Hopper car.

Bachmann has a large hopper car.

Aristo Craft and USAT are 29th scale, but what scale is the Bachmann?

Can someone provide memasurements for these three cars?

Width of the body?

Length of the body?

and height of the body from the top of the rail head?

What ever I buy, they will most likely get painted black, relettered and I'm not a rivit counter so the Bachmann if sized right will most likely do since they are the most economical.

Happy Memorial Day to all of you 

Randy


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'd use the Aristo 100 ton hoppers, more modern. I model the transition era, so the new 50 ton, 2 bay hoppers are perfect, and they have the correct pad (needs shimming a bit) for Kadees. 

Regards, Greg


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

Randy, 
It just so happens I have an Aristo 100 ton hopper close at hand. The car is 18 3/4 inches long, 4 3/8 wide, and 5 1/8 inches high. Here is a link to a video of my dash nine, double headed with an SD45 pulling some of the hoppers. 

http://vimeo.com/303503
They look just fine behind either a dash nine or SD 45 or both. Also, you may remember that "worlds longest train" video that made it through this forum a couple of weeks ago. There was 152 of these hoppers pulled by five or six dash nines. Not only do they look good, they pull good.
Paul


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Bachmann has two hoppers. The "Spectrum" 2-bay hopper is 1:20.3, and will dwarf the Dash-9. Their "Big Hauler" 3-bay is nominally 1:22.5, though many folks run strings of these behind their 1:29 diesels and they look pretty good. The Bachmann 3-bay and MDC 2-bay hoppers don't look too bad mixed together, either. They may be a bit "old" to go behind a Dash-9, but I still see hoppers that look pretty close running up and down through Denver from time to time. 

Later, 

K


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks guys 

The 100 Ton Aristos seem like the way to go. 

Randy


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Posted By rlvette on 30 May 2010 07:26 AM 
Thanks guys 

The 100 Ton Aristos seem like the way to go. 

Randy 

Randy i have 167 of the aristo 100 tonners and they work fine as modern train cars, but if you hold up a bit AML will soon be releasing their bathtub gondolas and they will be the most mdern and the coolest looking. Also kinda funny how it took all those Dash 9s to pull that train in the vidieo. but only one USA Trains BIGBOY.............







Hears a video of some of mine running. I also mix in some USA and MTH for variaty cause Hopper cars come in all shapes and sizes, and CSX over here doesnt seem to scrap cars they use them i think till they fall apart.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Nick 

Were the Dash 9s using factory weights? 

The Big Boy weighs a ton so traction is better I'm sure. 

I'd be happy if my Dash 9 can pull 25 hoppers. 

I just need to figure out what name should be on a hopper the Rock Island RR would be pulling. 

Did they have coal cars marked for the RI? 

If I'm going to buy hoppers specifically to haul behind the Dash 9, I want them all marked with the same road names. 

Randy


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Great Video Nick. 

Are those USAT passenger cars? 


A lot of the newer hoppers I see being pulled through Orlando to the power plant here look to be aluminum. 

Has anyone tried painting their hoppers to look like aluminum? 

Typically I have found most silver or aluminum paint doesn't give a very uniform look and some even smears long after it's dried.


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Posted By rlvette on 30 May 2010 07:51 AM 
Nick 

Were the Dash 9s using factory weights? 

The Big Boy weighs a ton so traction is better I'm sure. 

I'd be happy if my Dash 9 can pull 25 hoppers. 

I just need to figure out what name should be on a hopper the Rock Island RR would be pulling. 

Did they have coal cars marked for the RI? 

If I'm going to buy hoppers specifically to haul behind the Dash 9, I want them all marked with the same road names. 

Randy 

Randy, the Dash 9 pulls fine and one would pull 25 cars with no problems but if you ad the weight you'd be better off. i installed them in all my Aristo locos and it seems to make them run smoother and they will pull more cars.
As far as what the Rock pulled for coal cars im not sure but if you buy black undecorated cars you can get Del to make you up some transfers to make the cars what ever you like...... USA cars come with Data only on the sides so putting your rd name on is simple.Heres another video of Dash 9s and some USA Geeps pulling small coal train. And yes those are USA passenger cars i only run theirs cause i never cared for the looks of the short ones from aristo.


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Quote.......... Has anyone tried painting their hoppers to look like aluminum?................ Robbie at RLD did a few special runs of silver cars for CSX and BNSF I scored 50 of the silver CSX ones very nice.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

That Silver car looks really nice Nick


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy:

Here are some of the measurement for the USAT 70 ton 3 bay hopper.

Length: 16 7/8 inches

width: 4 3/8 inches 


Height above rail top to top of car body: 4 1/2 inches


I really like the USAT hoppers because they come with the coal load molded into the car. 



I have four of the Bachmann 1:20.3 two bay hoppers, they are very nice, but they would look very big behind a 1:29 locomotive. 


Chuck

I just measured the Bachmann 2 bay 1:20.3 


Length: 13 1/8 inches

width: 4 11/16 inches 


Height above rail top to top of car body: 5 inches 


Here are some pictures of the two cars with a USAT SD-40. It is the most modern diesel that I have.














































I'm not one to be too critical of most of the models, but the coal load in the Bachmann hopper SUCKS. It looks as if when the make the coal load for the casting, someone raked it into nice rows. Other than that they are very nice cars. The Bachmann hoppers didn't look as bad behind the SD-40 as I thought they would. It is big, but not grossly too big. You could not mix it with the USAT 70 ton hoppers.

I really like the looks of the new Aristo 2 bay hoppers and they come with a coal load. I may have to get some for my coal train. For my 1:29 trains I've concentrated on the late steam and early diesel transition. The two bays would look nice behind my Mallet or an F3 ABA.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, the Aristo hopper is almost 2 inches longer than the USAT and 5/8th inches taller. 

The coal loads do look nice on the USAT cars. 

Thanks Chuck


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## Dave F (Jan 2, 2008)

I run six Bachmann 3 bay hoppers and four MDC 2 bay hoppers behind my USAT GP30 and I think they look just fine. I'm no rivet counter, but at a scale 35 mph thay look great. It'll be the first thing you see in the video..


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice Video Dave 

Thanks


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## Chucks_Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy, Something else to keep in mind is that the Aristo 100 Ton hoppers come with plastic wheels and no coal load..









The USA 70 Ton hoppers have metal wheels and a coal load...









The Aristo 2-Bay hoppers have a coal load but plastic wheels...









The Bacmann hoppers have steel wheels and a coal load...


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy:

There is another 2 bay hopper out there. LGB made a very nice one with a coal load (plastic wheels).

Length of car is 14 inches 

Width of car is 4 inches

Height from rail top to car body top 4 11/16

The only draw back is that the brake wheel is on a vertical post rather than on the end of the car. I imagine that you could modify this if it is a problem. It if was a problem I probably wouldn't install it.




























Assuming that the prototype car is 30 feet long, this cars scales out to about 1:26. 


I have D&RGW (black), Santa Fe (blue) and Burlington (red).


I have no idea if they are still available or not. 

Chuck N


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

I did not like the coal loads in the coal hoppers that I purchased, so I made new coal loads. I use some 1" polystyrene foam to make the bed that slipped inside the coal car. It was painted flat black to cover up the color of the foam. I built up layers of Activated Carbon (for fish tank filters) using dilluted white glue I purchased a Walmart until I liked the shape of the coal. I have also seen shop towels used to build up a shape and then glue carbon on top of that. It makes for nice looking loads of coal. 
Ron


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

I've got a LGB Peabody 2 bay hopper that I run with the MDC 2 bay hoppers. 

For the Dash 9, I want longer cars and unless the AML Gondols interest me when they come out, I'll probably go with the Aristo Craft 100s because they are the longest. 

I appreciate the great info everyone is providing. 

Randy


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