InterMountain - 65235-05 - Covered Hopper, 4-Bay, Cylindrical - Roberval Saguenay - 455138

Specific Item Information: BLT: NEW 11-78

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 These cylindrical hoppers were superseded on ACF’s production line by the Centerflow in 1964, a revolutionary design that influenced later covered hopper types.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: This line is often referred to as Roberval & Saguenay but you won’t find the & anywhere on an RS locomotive or car. The RS was launched in 1911 to build from a connection with the Quebec & Lake St. John Railway in Roberval, Quebec, around Lake St. John to Chicoutimi with a branch to St. Bruno. The line was owned by the Chicoutimi Pulp Company. In 1914, RS acquired the Ha! Ha! Bay Railway that ran from Jonquieres to Bagotville plus branches. A portion of the line was under trolley wire with steeple cab switchers moving the freight while steam was used on the rest of the system. RS settled in hauling forest products until the owners closed the mills in 1925.

A predecessor of Alcan bought the railroad to move raw material and finished products from their new aluminum smelters in Arvida. In 1929 the line was extended from Arvida northwest to a connection near L’Ascension. In 1974, the Alma & Jonquires Railway (also owned by Alcan) was merged into the RS.

Traffic today is dominated by raw material to and finished products from the aluminum smelters plus some forest products. A recent locomotive roster includes an S2, two RS-18’s, two RS-3’s, an RS-11, a C420, two B23-7’s, eight GP38-3’s and three SD70Ace’s.

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.