Waddel Coal HO Scale MTH HO USRA 55-Ton Steel Twin Hopper Car

When America's railroads were nationalized during World War I, the United States Railroad Administration created 12 standard locomotive designs - including the USRA Mikado shown elsewhere in this catalog - and 5 standardized freight cars. One of the most enduring car designs was the 55-ton all-steel hopper, of which 22,000 cars were delivered by the USRA to 23 railroads. After the war, the American Railroad Association adopted the design as its standard practice, and near-clones were built by the tens of thousands - the majority of which worked long enough to help win the next World War and contribute to the prosperity that followed.