The 9015 Reading 2-bay hopper was produced from ’73 to ’75. It appeared in only 1 set and as a separate sale item. It marked a turning point in the MPC era. Its production run was modest compared to that of the 9010, 9011, 9012 & 9013 making it a little harder to find, but fortunately not too hard. Overall I find it a nice looking car. As is often found on many of the “cheap classics” someone has up-graded the trucks.
Have fun collecting cheap classics………………………
Papa D
The 9013 Canadian National (CN) was produced from ’72 to ’76. It was included in a whooping 13 different sets plus sold separately. As one might guess, it is the easiest of the 2-bay hoppers to find at a “cheap classic” price. There is only a slight premium for mint ones still in the box.
The only variation is body color, which can be found in light, medium and dark red. This body color variation is too subtle to make collecting worth the effort. For example, photo color quality on eBay has at least as much variation. If anyone has enough 9013 CN’s to show this variation please post photos.
Thanks Mike C.
The 9012 TA&G 2-bay hopper was produced in ’71 & ’72. It appeared in 4 sets and as a separate sale item. If it comes with a box then it was a separate sale item. It is fairly easy to find which also corresponds to a low price, generally under $10. Overall, it’s a nice looking car with above average graphics.
The only variation is body color. In addition to the common dark blue body (which is probably the body used for the very rare 9011 GN dark blue variation) there is a royal blue body which is the same color as the 9011 GN royal blue variation. While not common, it is not that difficult to find with a moderate premium price in the range of $20 to $40.
All 9012’s came with Symington-Wayne trucks and MPC logo, an interesting contrast to the 9010 & 9011 GN’s. It’s easy to understand how the 9010 & 9011 GN’s AAR/S-W truck variation might be restricted to cars built in ’70 as the left over postwar stock was used up. One could speculate the “with” & “without” MPC logo variation is restricted to the ’70 product year and by ‘71 MPC more or less had their act together.
Good evening all,
Papa D, i enjoy your updates on "Cheap Classics". I had not seen a royal blue 9011 until you posted so I really appreciate your take on the stories. Some of the early MPC does have some fascinating history.
Keep on training,
Mike C. from Indiana
Next on the list is the 9010’s cousin, the 9011 Great Northern. Produced from ’70 to ’71 and again from ’75 to ’83, it appeared in 7 sets as well as included in the Rolling Stock Assortment from ’79 to ’83 making this the second easiest and cheapest one to find after the 9013 Canadian National.
The 9011 is also the champ when it comes to variations with a total of 5: 1) Light blue with separate brake wheel, AAR trucks and MPC logo; 2) Light blue with molded brake wheel and Symington-Wayne trucks and MPC logo; the same as 2 except without MPC logo; 4) Royal Blue; and 5) dark blue which is very rare.
This shows a comparison between the separate brake wheel and the molded brake wheel. The designers at MPC certainly knew how to squeeze every penny out of a design. Unfortunately “customer delight” with the product/design change didn’t seem to one of their considerations. Interesting to note in recent times the 2-bay hoppers again have a separate brake wheel.
Comparison between light and royal blue is shown in this next photo. Note also the MPC logo is missing from the light blue car on the left.
I don’t have nor have I ever come across an example of the dark blue variation. I would speculate that someone inadvertently heat stamped a few 9012 TA&G dark blue2-bay hopper bodies with the GN set-up.
Dennis, relative to your comment, I’ve found that buying at train shows vs eBay may or may not be cheaper. I try to attend the twice a year Greenburg train shows in my area as well as the once a year Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show held on the weekend before the Super Bowl at the Big-E in West Springfield, MA. At the last Greenburg train show this fall I bought a nice Lionel 8111 DT&I NW2 Diesel Switcher for $50, which given the condition is probably cheaper than what I could have bought it for on eBay. I do find that some dealers charge a premium price because you get to see what you buying before buying it.
There is no denying that eBay for better or worst has changed collecting of anything and everything from antiques to trains. It’s redefine “rarity” and in general lead to a decline in prices. It’s taken me about a year to collect all the 2-bay hoppers on the “cheap classic” list. If I bought at train shows exclusively it probably would have taken 5 years or more. There are still two 2-bay hopper variations that I’ve bid on but not won because of a self imposed “cheap classic” price limit. I’m pretty sure I’ll see other examples of these variations on eBay and perhaps be lucky enough to have a “cheap classic” winning bid.
The third article in Michael Connor’s four part series on “cheap classics” covering 2-bay hoppers and gondolas appeared in the January 1995 edition of CCT which by-the-way was a whopping 178 pages. The beauty of these articles is Michael identified sub-categories of rolling stork that contained a limited number of members making collecting possible on a budget. He had two simple criteria: only the Model Product Corporation (MPC ’70 to ’85) and Lionel Trains Incorporated (LTI ’86 to ’95) eras; and only cataloged rolling stock. Because collectors often ignore these two eras, much of the rolling stock can be bought at a very reasonable price, hence the “cheap classic” tag line. The first two “cheap classic” articles covered single dome tank cars and short box cars. For those who might be interested I have two earlier posts covering these: Cheap Classics- 8” Tank Cars & Cheap Classics- 8” Box Cars. In this post I will focus on the 2-bay hoppers listed in the third article. Finally, a big thank you to Michael Connor for having written these articles. It has provided my hours and hours of fun and learning collecting these items. With that, let’s get started.
There are 17 2-bay hoppers on the list. The journey begins with the 9010 Great Northern produced in ’70 & ’71. It was included in 4 sets as well as a separate sale item making it relatively easy to find.
9010 variations reflect the transition that was taking place at the start of the MPC era. The body was a carry-over from the post-war era with a separate brakewheel. Body color ranged from light to medium blue.
Left over trucks were also being used up, so the 9010 can be found with either post-war era AAR trucks (on the left) or Symington-Wayne trucks (on the right) introduced by MPC.
The AAR trucks have a metal bar on the operating coupler. This bar is frequently missing and replacements are hard to find.
Most cars were marked with a “1-70” build date. Some medium blue with AAR trucks are reportedly marked with “7-70”. This is a variation I’ve yet to come across. I have seen however any number of the 9010 close cousin, the 9011 Great Northern which is marked “7-70” listed on eBay as a 9010. Is this variation a case of mistaken identity?
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