Pullman-Standard 3400cf Quad Coal Hopper

Prototype Information

In 1975, the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad (“B&LE”) made a significant capital investment in a new fleet of 100-ton “quad” open hoppers, the first cars of their type, to replace older home road and foreign cars. B&LE ordered 550 cars of 3400 cubic foot capacity from Pullman-Standard’s Bessemer AL plant – which was significant not only for the size of the car order, but because Pullman’s Butler PA plant was a large online customer. B&LE had multiple coal hauling lanes, and these new cars provided stronger incentive to haul coal headed to the railroad’s Lake Erie rail-water transload docks at Conneaut, OH, plus capture more “backhaul” of iron ore business offloaded from “lake boats,” headed to the region’s steel producers via the B&LE. Some of the fleet received minor carbody rebuilding in the 2000s, however most of the cars still serve on B&LE/CN today.