I've been looking through the 1959 Railway Equipment Register, and I was astounded by the sheer number of H21 Hoppers operated by the PRR in that era. Out of a total of 71,602 revenue freight cars on the PRR in 1959, 14,856 were H21 Hoppers! mg: The roster did note these were comprised of H21a's, H21b's and H21c's. Being an ignorant Western modeler, I have two primary questions: Are there any major external differences between the three classes of H21's? Did the H21's venture into the Northwest, via the UP(OWR&N), SP, GN or NP? If anyone know the answers to these questions, thank you for your assistance!
I guess this post is only about a year too late! But I just found this forum. The numbers you post seem a bit low, as by the late 40s-early 50s the PRR had over 40,000 H21a hoppers alone. I would guess H21-H22 and all the subclasses, similar in design with differences in hoppers, trucks, etc. made up closer to 80,000 cars, but that is a guess. I know the PRR had WAYYY more than 70,000 hoppers, let alone revenue freight cars, for certain. And the PRR H21 hopper was so common, yes indeed you could find several in any train, anywhere in the country. It is said that in order to accurately model ANY railroad during the 30s-60s you should have at least a few PRR hoppers. Dave
