Dear N Scale Modelers, as promised here are the updated images of the new Green Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation Hawker Siddeley Grain Hoppers. Please note the painted samples was a "Paint Sample", and the non decorated car was the latest "Engineering Sample".

So please look at the colored car for painting correctness and look at the undecorated sample for the final engineering changes, such has height of the car and changes made to the details for the final production version.

We hope you enjoy. We will be attending the Toronto Train Show this weekend and will have a sample there you can touch. 

Contrary to some comments that are being bantered about online, the North American Railcar Corporation N scale model of the Hawker Siddeley 4550 cubic foot 4-bay cylindrical hopper really does exist! We are very excited to present photographs of pre-production cars, painted and decorated in the Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation's stunning new livery.

We feel that this car compares with any N scale model freight car on the market today in regards to faithfully representing the prototype, from the number and arrangement of the welded side panels, the number of running board supports, the layout and detail of the air brake reservoirs and associated piping and valves as well as the meticulous detail to such parts as the etched metal running boards and crossover platforms, the bolster/jack pad down to the accurate detail on the Procor brand Toggle-Lock gravity outlet gates. Come along and take a look at the new Hawker Siddeley 4550, we think you'll like what you see.

Lets start with the roof, since this is the view that most of us have of our model cars on a layout. The hatches are modeled after those on the real cars, complete with batten bars and latches. The running boards are etched brass and there is the correct number of supports (11) for this version of the car. We’ve even included the correct type of running board extension support on the end of the car. Look at the fine detail on the roof grab.

This version of the Hawker Siddeley 4550 cubic-foot car has nine side panels, which we have faithfully reproduced; creating a unique car body that has never been produced before. While similar in design to the National Steel Car (NSC) 4550 cubic-foot cylindrical hopper, North American Railcar’s will stand out when mixed in a consist of grain cars.

Hawker Siddeley modified their design of the ubiquitous “Canadian Grain Car” and we have faithfully reproduced their design here. A great example is the side ladders at the left end of the car (on either side). Notice how the ladder stiles extend outward from the end running board platform, just like on the real cars.

Let’s take a look at the outlet gates. The Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation (SGCC) specified Procor Toggle-Lock outlets on their cars and like Hawker Siddeley, we’ve followed the specification and installed them on the model car as well. Check out the detail of the gates. They are tooled from actual drawings of the prototype outlet gates. You can even see the rivets!

The basic design of the 4550 cubic-foot 4-bay cylindrical covered hopper included reinforcing plates on the left side of the hopper bays so that air powered vibrators could be held against the plates to vibrate the compacted load loose and we haven’t overlooked that detail either.

Our decorated sample (artwork proof) had less than stellar running boards and brake pipes applied to it. The running boards were wavy between the supports and the brake lines (both single and double drooped at the ends. Another issue was the height of the car. It sat too high above the rails, so we modified the bolster by removing 0.3 mm (yes, 3/10s of a millimeter!) to bring the top of the car down to where it should be, but even more importantly, it lowered the gap between the bolster and the truck, improving the appearance greatly. The car to the right in the image below is the final engineering sample with properly applied running boards, straight brake pipes and the new, modified bolster. We’ve aimed at making this the most accurate N scale freight car available and we think that you’ll agree that it is.

The new state-of-the-art N scale Hawker Siddeley 4550 cubic-foot 4-bay cylindrical hopper from North American Railcar Corporation is on its way, so visit the Pacific Western Rail Systems web site today at https://www.pacific-western-rail.com/main.php and order your cars before they sell out!

 Frequently Asked Questions Click Here re the New Saskatchewan Grain Cars