Pere Marquette 3-bay offset side hoppers. First of all for those not familiar with this line, it’s PERE (pronounced like Pair, not Pierre as in South Dakota. Pere is French for “Father.”) Pere Marquette connected much of Michigan with Chicago, Toledo, and (via Southern Ontario) Buffalo, New York. They also interchanged with Wisconsin roads via car ferries across Lake Michigan. Sporting around 2,000 route miles, Pere Marquette was between Rio Grande and Nickel Plate Road in relative size. PM came under the control of the Van Swerengen brothers who also ran the C&O, Erie, and Nickel Plate. During this period PM bought 2-8-4 Berkshires similar to their siblings. One of these Berks has been restored to operation. In 1927, PM received 250 of these 3-bay offset side hoppers. In 1947, Pere Marquette was merged into Chesapeake & Ohio. However, due in part to its location and in part to the nature of equipment assignments during this era, there was little visible evidence that C&O had
taken over for more than a decade! This run will be available in 3 road numbers.

Features:

• Friction bearing or roller bearing trucks as appropriate for each road name
• Fully molded air tank and valve with piping, slope sheet braces
• Body mounted brake hose detail
• Separate brake cylinder, rod and lever detail (a first on an N scale open hopper!)
• Body mounted magnetically operating couplers
• Coal load
• Diecast slope sheets and center sill
• Injection molded plastic sides, ends and hopper doors

Order Deadline Nov. 29, 2011

Expected Release: July 2012