InterMountain - 65211-37 - Covered Hopper, 4-Bay, Cylindrical - Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo - 1541

Specific Item Information: BLT 10-65

Model Information: These models are available in two different configurations - "Trough" hatches or "Round" hatches. Prior to their more recent "Ready-To-Run" state, they were available in kit form. Intermountain doesn't actually specify a prototype for this model, but it appears to be based on an NSC (National Steel Car) 4750 cf hopper.

Prototype History: ACF introduced their roundish cylindrical hoppers in the early 1960s. The cars differed greatly from the ribbed sided hoppers of the era. They have been made in 3-bay and 6-bay variations. These cylindrical hoppers were superseded on ACF’s production line by the Centerflow in 1964, a revolutionary design that influenced later covered hopper types. In the late 60s or early 70s Canada came out with 4-bay covered hoppers that appear to be derived from ACF’s pre-Centerflow cylindrical hoppers. These cars were used by CN, CP and various smaller Canadian shippers. There is some question as to why the Canadian builder based their design off the older cylindrical and not ACF’s newer Centerflow. It was likely a patent issue and copying it could have triggered legal action against the Canadian builders. There are also certain structural design differences between the cylindrical and centerflow cars and perhaps the decision to copy the cylindrical was based on the greater volume capacity of the cylindrical design.

Road Name History: The TH&B was chartered in 1884 to connect Hamilton, Ontario to Fort Erie, just across the border from Buffalo, New York. However, once construction commenced, the goals changed. Ultimately, the TH&B would run from Waterford east to Hamilton and Welland, Ontario. Two branches ran south from this line to reach the lake port cities of Port Cleburn and Port Maitland (both on Lake Erie.) Until 1932, TH&B ran a car ferry operation between Port Maitland and Ashtabula, Ohio. In total, the TH&B was 111 miles long, making it slightly shorter that Richmond Fredricksburg & Potomac. In 1895 ownership was split between Canadian Pacific and three of the New York Central Lines: Michigan Central, Canada Southern and New York Central. TH&B was an important carrier for heavy industries in the Hamilton, Ontario area.

The most modern steam power on the TH&B was a pair of 2-8-4 Berkshires (the only Berkshires on a Canadian railroad) and a pair of 4-6-4 Hudsons. Strangely, none of TH&B’s steamers were equipped with all-weather cabs which were so common in Canada. This may have been due to the influence of NYC’s mechanical department.

TH&B had completely dieselized by 1954: NW2: 4, SW9: 4, GP7: 7, GP9: 3. The three GP9’s were built with boilers for passenger service and with their air tanks mounted on the roof. The GP9’s were also built to run long-hood-forward unlike the GP7’s. This often led to consists that appeared to have the locomotives “elephant walking” when in fact they were running back to back. One of the GP7’s was destroyed in a wreck in 1980. The roster then remained the same until the end. They also never really changed their paint scheme (except for adding the logo to the cab side around 1970.)

New York Central’s share of TH&B passed to Penn Central in that merger. After the collapse of PC and the creation of Conrail, CP Rail picked up PC’s share of the TH&B in 1977. However, TH&B remained a separate railroad for another 10 years until being merged into CPR.

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.