Iron Hippo LEGACY Set

Pennsy men called the I1’s “Hippos” andthey earned that name on trains like thefamous Mt. Carmel ore trains which broughtMessabi ore to the mills in Bethlehem,Pennsylvania. A single I1 could handle thetrain for most of the eastbound trip fromLake Erie docks. But the last 27 miles to theLehigh Valley interchange at Mt. Carmelrequired a pair of these brutes on thehead end with another pair pushing hardon the rear. These trains were a favorite forphotographers catching dramatic shots of heavy steam railroading in its final days.Prior to the 1960s, nearly all the ore movedon the Pennsylvania and other eastern linesrode in conventional hoppers designedfor coal. Indeed, many of these cars wouldbe loaded with coal for the next trip west.But being much heavier by volume thancoal, the ore could only be loaded in smallpiles in the hoppers. The Pennsy used avariety of hoppers in this service, and somecars pulled from other roads would oftenshow up as well. Now you can add this ore traffic to your layoutin dramatic fashion with the “Iron Hippo”set from Lionel! The six-car train, pulled bysurviving Decapod #4483, includes a braceof 6 GLa hoppers and a CrewTalk Cabin Carto add to the fun. If you really want to challengethe grades with a long train though,you can pick up additional hoppers and I1’sand battle the hill!