Rapido HO 133011-4 Flexi-Flo Covered Hopper LaFarge #1009

Rapido Flexi-Flo Covered Hopper LaFarge #1009

Scale: HO
Road Name: LaFarge
Road Number: 1009
Condition: Brand new in original packaging

The Rapido Trains HO Scale ACF PD3500 Flexi Flo Covered Hopper is based on cars built between August 1964 and June 1966 by American Car & Foundry (ACF). This unique covered hopper was an early innovator in pressure differential unloading and a marketing masterclass thanks to the |Flexi Flo} tag coined by the car's biggest customer, the New York Central railroad. Other than seven cars built for Shippers Car Line (SHPX), a subsidiary of ACF, the NYC was the only purchaser of the PD3500. They made up for it in quantities, with a total of 220 cars rolling off the Milton, Pennsylvania, production line over three subtly different batches. Through the Penn Central years, plenty made it through with their full NYC paint continuing to be exposed to the elements with nothing more than reporting mark and number patches. The Conrail era meant many cars were repatched again, making them rolling billboards in northeastern railroad history! Many others were fully repainted, with Conrail applying at least three different schemes. By the 1980s and 1990s, most remaining cars would be transferred to Conrail's Merchants Despatch Transportation Co. (MDTX) subsidiary, and then the later sale of cars to NAHX (for Lafarge), gaining new full paint schemes and being seen throughout North America. By the 2000s, patchouts were the norm with a plethora of different reporting marks popping up and no part of the USA or Canada was off limits to seeing these unique cars continue to earn their keep.

Note: Road number may vary from pictured item but the paint scheme is the same only the road number is different. All items are inspected and test run prior to shipment to you. Please contact us if you have any questions!

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