Full Throttle - FT-1043-1 - Covered Hopper, 3-Bay, Cylindrical - Toledo Peoria & Western - 2-Pack

Specific Item Information: Road Numbers: TPW 17205 & 17208

Model Information: After WWII, US railroads were increasingly called upon to haul new and unique "modern" products over long distances. In response, American Car and Foundry (ACF) designed a tank-type covered hopper car. The cylindrical shape created a better weight/volume ratio; plus, the elimination of interior ledges, combined with hatches and outlets placed along a center-line, led to ACF's trademark "Center Flow" hoppers. Through the 1960s the Cylindricals became omnipresent on our nation's railroads, with many styles of hatches and outlets devised according to needs. Because the cars were compartmented, various different loads could be carried in a single unit, and some had aluminum construction to further reduce weight. Here was a "Freight Car for the Future," ready to transport sugar, cement, sand, salt, fertilizers, many types of grains, coke, starch, feeds, chemicals and plastics!

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 These cylindrical hoppers were superseded on ACF’s production line by the Centerflow in 1964, a revolutionary design that influenced later covered hopper types.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: TP&W first appeared under that name in 1887. For most of its history, the TP&W ran east and west from Peoria, Illinois, to Keokuk, Iowa on the west bank of the Mississippi River on one end and Effner just on the other side of the Illinois-Indiana state line. There were a couple of short branches on the west end of the line.

TP&W first attracted national attention in 1887 when a passenger excursion train wrecked in Chatsworth, Illinois. The double headed train originated in Peoria and was packed with excursionists headed for Niagara Falls (via connections.) The train was running at speed when it approached a low trestle that had been weakened by a prairie fire. The trestle was only about 15’ high. The lead locomotive made it across and the second engine plunged through it, bringing the train of wooden coaches to an instant halt. At least one of the coaches was telescoped by another. 85 were killed and hundreds injured.

In 1941, TP&W backed out of national labor negotiations over a pay increase that was being considered. TP&W instead pushed for hourly wages and loosening of work rule restrictions. The unions struck and with the outbreak of war, operations were taken over by the Federal Government. After the war, the government handed the operation back to the owner George McNear and the labor strike resumed. In 1947 McNear was assassinated by a striker and that was that. The railroad was sold and operation resumed.

In addition to the local traffic they generated across central Illinois, TP&W served as a bridge route between the Santa Fe at Lomax, Illinois near the west end and the Pennsylvania at Effner, Indiana on the east end. Santa Fe and Pennsy’s only direct connection was in Chicago with all of Chicago’s inherent congestion. Many traffic managers preferred to route through Peoria. For Santa Fe and Pennsylvania, that meant routing over the TP&W.

In the steam era, the kings of the TP&W were a group of six 4-8-4 Northerns purchased in 1937. These Alco’s were the smallest 4-8-4’s on the continent. The diesel era was dominated by Alco and EMD road switchers with a splash of F’s and Lima-Hamilton switchers (these were later replaced by SW1500’s.)

In 1960, the Minneapolis & St. Louis attempted to gain control of the TP&W as well as Monon. M&St.L was also a funnel for the Peoria Gateway and thought the TP&W a good addition. However, when Santa Fe and Pennsy got wind of M&St.L’s stock purchases, the Santa Fe put out their own buy order and quickly grabbed control away from M&St.L. Santa Fe then sold a 50% stake in the TP&W to the Pennsylvania.

In 1970, TP&W suffered a wreck in Crescent City, Illinois. A string of propane tank cars was involved. One of the cars caught fire. As it burned, it boiled the propane in the adjacent car. Eventually the pressure of the boiling fuel exceeded the strength of the fire weakened shell of the tank and it exploded. The cycle started again with the next car. The fire department had successfully evacuated Crescent City but was powerless to fight the fire as burning propane rained down on the town. Crescent City was all but destroyed and the accident led the FRA to set standards on track quality with power to embargo traffic from lines that fell below certain maintenance levels.

The creation of Conrail in 1976 changed traffic patterns for the TP&W. Bridge traffic to the Santa Fe began to dry up. TP&W bought the ex-PRR line from Effner to Logansport, Indiana and a new connection to N&W was established. This brought the TP&W mileage to just over 300 making it about the size of Ann Arbor.

In 1979 the corporate successor of Penn Central sold their half of the TP&W to Santa Fe. At the end of 1983, TP&W was merged into the Santa Fe. In 1986, 33 miles of former TP&W line toward the west end were sold to Keokuk Junction Rwy. But the story didn’t end there.

In 1989, the TP&W lines were spun off by Santa Fe to a group of investors and the TP&W was reborn. The 1995 BNSF merger brought trackage rights for TP&W over the former CB&Q from Peoria northwest to Galesburg. A year later, TP&W was purchased by Delaware Otsego Corporation who also owned the New York Susquehanna & Western and a few shortlines in the New York – Pennsylvania – New Jersey area. During DO ownership, a typical day saw 165 cars move on the line. In 1999, the RailAmerica shortline group made an offer for the TP&W that DO couldn’t refuse and that September, the sale was closed. In 2004, the lines west of Peoria were sold to Keokuk Junction with TP&W continuing with the routes east. In 2012, all of the RailAmerica roads, TP&W included, joined the Genesee & Wyoming shortline group.

Brand/Importer Information: Greetings, I'm Will, a Fine Arts graduate of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania who grew up in the Delaware Valley. I worked for 30 years with the Pennsylvania German Folklife Society. For ten years I had a permanent booth, each month showing my "PA Dutch" wares, at the country's largest under-roof Antique Market in Atlanta, GA. When Mom and Dad started to have health issues, I was forced to give up the nomadic life, but during my travels I came to love Z Scale Model Railroading, as I could easily take small layouts with me to the motels and play with my trains in the evenings!
Now that Mom and Dad are gone, and after many years of providing care for my "Pappy" in Florida, I find myself a homebody in the "Sunshine State" with a neat little business, supplying interested Z hobbyists with rolling stock and unique quality products!