N Scale Norfolk Southern - rd#145428

This three-bay, 100-ton open hopper with Barber Roller Bearing trucks was built in 1989 by Trinity Industries and followed the basic plan for the H12A carbody. With a 263,000-pound capacity, it was used for bulk coal transport between east coast mines and power plants, and other industries. Founded in 1982 through the mergers of Norfolk & Western and the Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern grew further in the late 1990s with the acquisition of just over half of the trackage and assets of Conrail Corporation.  Today, NS is one of the largest Class 1 Railroads with over 30,000 employees and operates nearly 22,000 miles of track in the Eastern and Midwestern United States.