Operating Coal Dump Cars & Hoppers

Most of the freight sets sold by Lionel in the postwar era contained a hopper. Consequently, that prototypical piece of rolling stock is easily found in the marketplace today. Whether the hopper was of the short two-bay style or the larger quad style, most carried the Lehigh Valley roadname.

The operating coal car is not as common as the hopper. While Lionel included an operating coal car in a limited number of work train sets, most were purchased as a separate sale item to complement coaling operations on many model railroad empires. To this day the operating coal dump car is an intergral part of the action provided by many classic postwar accessories -- including the 97 Coal Elevator, 397 Coal Loader and 497 Coaling Station.

Click on any of the entries in the chart listed below. You'll be presented with detailed information on the specific item. Every listing contains specific product data with a brief history of the item and at least one photo. Whether doing some serious research on model trains or simply taking a stroll down memory lane, take your time as you absorb the pages that follow. Some of you will view the exact trains you had while growing up, some will recognize the trains your parents had and others will discover startling facts about the glory years of a company that has become a piece of Americana.