Trainworx - 2441-07 - Open Hopper, 4-Bay Steel - Maryland Midland - 4018

Model Information: This model was first released in 2001 and has been in regular production through the time of this writing (2021). Over 600 different models have been produced from this tooling. The model was originally released in kit form (no trucks) or assembled (with MTL trucks/couplers). The most recent release now appears to use body-mounted MTL knock-offs. The current model uses chemically blackened brass metal wheel produced by Fox Valley. The model comes with a coal load. It is a solid 2nd generation model that has been updated with some 3rd generation features with this most recent release,.

Prototype History: The 1960s brought about a growth in car size (and capacity). Railroads that transported coal moved away from the older 2-bay 55-ton USRA standard to newer 90- and 100-ton three bay hoppers. These cars were effective and long-lived. Many railroads swapped out the trucks on these cars to increase the capacity to 100 tons. Many companies produced these, including Pullman, Bethlehem, Evans, Greenville, Trinity and Ortner. The offset side variant of these hoppers carried a little more capacity than their rib-sided cousins.

Road Name History: Maryland Midland launched in 1980 when they took over operation of a former Pennsylvania Railroad line from Taneytown 17 miles to Walkerville, Maryland that had been operated for the previous two years by the Maryland & Pennsylvania. In 1983, they bought a section of Western Maryland mainline between High Field and Emory Grove, 50 miles away, (WM trains had moved to the parallel Baltimore & Ohio line.)

Another company sponsored regular passenger excursion and dinner trains behind MMID F units. The Maryland Midland was owned by local interests but in 2007, Genesee & Wyoming purchased 87% of the company with Lehigh Cement (MMID’s largest shipper) holding the rest. Traffic includes aggregates, brick, cement, chemicals and forest products.

Perhaps due to the split in ownership, the MMID diesel fleet held on to their unique blue and orange paint scheme until January of 2014 when the G&W standard orange, black and yellow paint scheme began to take over.

Brand/Importer Information: Trainworx was founded in 1999 by Pat Sanders and is located in Delta Colorado. Their first freight car was the Quad hopper and it was released in 2000. They have been making N scale products ever since. Their website can be found at www.train-worx.com. As of 2016, they have produced 8 different rolling stock body styles as well as a range of different highway vehicles in N Scale. Their limited edition runs have proven a huge success with collectors and modelers enjoy the accuracy of all their products.

Trainworx sells their products both through tradional retail channels as well as directly by phone order. When asked "What prompted you to found Trainworx?", Pat Sanders responded "There was a freight car that hadn't been done in N scale that I just had to have and it didn't look like anyone was ever going to make it."