The Great Northern Railway Historical Society is pleased to announce that we have purchased Tangent Scale Models remaining stock of HO scale Pullman-Standard PS-2 design 3215 cuft. covered hopper cars painted to represent GN 71505 to 71579, 75 cars built in 1960 to haul grain mill products. The model is painted in the gray scheme that these cars were delivered in and is appropriately stenciled including the ‘Great Northern’ herald. Total PS-2 production exceeded 1,400 cars in various cubic capacities between 1958 and 1962.
The models feature correct GN roof details including: see-through Apex-style running board and ‘early-style’ round roof hatches, Underneath, this model includes exquisite Enterprise gravity outlet gates, matching this prototype group of 75 cars. The B-end features all the brake details and piping of the prototype, including a gorgeous Universal 7400 brake stand, Universal brake wheel, Apex style brake step, and a finely executed retaining valve mounted on the end of the car body. Metal corner stirrup steps and flexible rubber air hoses on each end of the car provide durability. Finally, these cars ride on Tangent’s brand-new 70-ton ASF A-3 Ride Control roller bearing trucks with Timken rotating bearing caps! They are gorgeous! Cars are available in 12 road numbers.
Between 1958 and 1963 Great Northern Railway purchased five lots of 70 and 90-ton capacity covered hopper cars. The first lot, built in 1958, was 100 PS-2 70-ton carrying capacity cars of 2006 cubic feet capacity for cement service numbered 71405-71504.
Fifty PS-2 cars numbered 71950 to 71999, were purchased in 1958 for malt service. These were Great Northern’s first covered hoppers NOT for cement service. These cars had 70-ton carrying capacity and provided 2893 cubic feet of space. Twenty-five cars from this group received nominal 100-ton trucks, which gave them a load limit of 197,000 pounds, in 1964 to haul magnesite from Chewelah WA to Chicago and points east,
In 1960 GN purchased cars 71505 to 71579 to haul grain mill products and the cars were stenciled FOR FOOD PRODUCTS ONLY. These cars had a volume capacity of 3215 cubic feet and 140,000-pound carrying capacity. The 1960 cars looked very much like series 71950 to 71999, being about six inches wider with other dimensions identical.
In 1962 and 1963 Great Northern bought two lots of 4000 cubic foot, 90-ton capacity, covered hopper cars also from Pullman for barley and feed service.
In 1963 the AAR increased the allowable gross weight on axles, giving the PS-2 cars 154,000-pound capacity. The 1963 increased gross weight enabled the builders to offer steel cars of 200,000-pound capacity with tare weight of not over 63,000 pounds on 6 ½ by 12-inch journals, which enabled a flood of 100-ton, 4400 cubic foot or so, covered hoppers to replace box cars for transporting grain, especially including wheat. GN favored 4650 cubic foot cars since they could also haul 100 tons of corn, which is not quite as dense as wheat.
These cars and models represent the important evolutionary niche of less than 100-ton other than cement cars in the Great Northern’s fleet.