InterMountain - 65346-08 - Covered Hopper, 3-Bay, Thrall 4750 - Land O Lakes - 33297

Model Information: Rib-side, 3-bay covered hoppers. 4750 cubic foot capacity. Features etched metal roofwalks, sharp painting and lettering, multiple road numbers per paint scheme, and metal wheels (at least for the 2017 release - earlier releases likely have plastic wheelsets).

InterMountain does not refer to a specific prototype on their website for this model, but I have seen it referred to as both a PS (Pullman-Standard) as well as a Thrall. Perhaps the model has elements of both prototypes baked into the molding? Would love to hear from a prototype expert on this one...

Prototype History: Starting around 1970 or so, every major railcar manufacturer produced a 4750 cubic foot covered hopper. Thrall was no exception. To be honest, these hoppers all look pretty similar. To make matters worse, these cars were modified as improvements were made to the design. In the case of the Thrall model, at least two major revisions were made to this car during the period in which it was produced. The cars were built starting in the late 1970s, this 263,000 lbs GRL (Gross Rail Loading) car is used primarily for grain transport. The thrall models feature 3 bays and rib sides. The roof is flat. These cars were used by the Burlington Northern in large numbers as well as by many other railroads.

Road Name History: Land O'Lakes, Inc. is the leading agricultural supply and food marketing cooperative in the United States, providing both its members and the public with food products and production materials. Best known for its butter and other quality dairy products, the cooperative also manufactures feeds, seeds, fertilizers, and other chemicals to meet the needs of more than 300,000 farmers and ranchers. Included in the cooperative are more than 950 member associations and more than 11,000 individual members in 27 states. Land O'Lakes has also increasingly sought out growth opportunities outside the United States, and includes among its foreign operations feed mills in Taiwan and Poland and marketing functions in Mexico, East Asia, and the Pacific Rim.

Brand/Importer Information: InterMountain was founded in 1985 by Fred Brummet. They got started in the model railroad business by producing O-Scale model kits. They got started in the N Scale business almost a decade later when in 1994 they introduced the 40-23 reefer car in kit form. Later, in 1998, they started producing RTR (Ready-to-Run) models. By the early 2000s, InterMountain phased out kit production in favor of the RTR models.

The InterMountain Railway company is located at 1224 Boston Ave in Longmont, CO. They are a manufacturer of HO, N and Z scale model trains. They have produced kits as well as RTR (Ready-To-Run) models. Their N Scale products include locomotives as well as rolling stock. Their rolling stock lineup includes Boxcars, Hoppers, Tank Cars, Reefers, Gondolas, Stock Cars and Flatcars.

Their locomotive releases have primarily been diesel units, with the one major exception being their series of AC-12 Cab Forward steam locos. Their diesel lineup includes F3's, F7's, F9's, SD40's, SD45's and FT units. They are known for quality and detail. They also release their rolling stock in larger varieties of road numbers than most of the other manufacturers.