Rapido (158025) | NSC Ballast Hopper | Railroad of Lies ROLX #9008 | Patched | HO Scale

Product Description

Ballast! A commodity that is rarely discussed yet plays a pivotal part in the upkeep of any railroad’s infrastructure. Many railroads simply used older open-top hoppers to carry and “dump” ballast along their right-of-ways. In the mid-1970s, National Steel Car (NSC) designed and developed a welded open-top hopper specifically for ballast service, complete with four bottom chutes to spread the rocks along the rails. CN and CP purchased these cars in volumes, both directly and under the 1978 Government of Canada Branch Line Rehabilitation Program. Fleet numbers were also an identifier of these cars as well as their Branch Line Rehabilitation stencil and many continue to wear those to this day.

Similar cars could be found on many American roads, wearing a wide variety of paint schemes and graphics. We even included three generic colours for you to make into your freelance road or another railroad that used these cars!

Railroad of Lies

The “Railroad of Lies” is a fictional railroad concept created by Rapido Trains Inc. as a playful tribute to the colorful personalities, exaggerated stories, and legendary tall tales that have always been part of railroading culture and railfan history. Rather than representing a real prototype railroad, the Railroad of Lies embraces the fun side of the hobby with tongue-in-cheek humor, fictional reporting marks, and imaginative storytelling. Rapido designed the concept as an inside joke for railroad enthusiasts — the kind of railroad where every story gets a little bigger with every telling and every locomotive somehow has a “completely true” backstory.

Adding to the fun is the railroad’s fictional ROLX reporting marks, a clever nod to the real-world freight car and locomotive reporting marks used across North America. The believable-looking ROLX markings help give the Railroad of Lies an authentic appearance while reinforcing the playful “what-if” spirit behind the concept. The railroad celebrates the humor and creativity found throughout the hobby while still featuring highly detailed and prototypically inspired equipment. Its unique branding pokes fun at classic railfan myths, exaggerated railroad stories, and the larger-than-life personalities that have become part of railroad culture over the decades. Despite being completely fictional, many of the paint schemes look surprisingly realistic and are inspired by classic North American railroad aesthetics, making them especially popular with collectors and modelers who enjoy fantasy railroads and conversation-starting equipment. Railroad of Lies releases have quickly developed a cult following among hobbyists, proving that model railroading can combine serious craftsmanship with a healthy sense of humor and fun.

Features

• Removable ballast load
• Diecast frame
• Separate metal grab irons installed at the factory
• Coupler cutbars and airhoses
• Metal wheels
• Semi-scale, metal couplers
• Accurate paint and lettering
• Multiple road numbers available for each scheme
• Available in singles or multi-packs (Dealers must order multi-packs)
• Multi-packs boxed for individual sale