N ACF 4600 3-Bay Center Flow Hopper C&NW #180337 (ATH12948)

An N-scale model of American Car & Foundry’s 4600-cubic-foot, three-bay CenterFlow hopper in Chicago & North Western markings. Introduced in the mid-1960s, these hoppers carried grain and other bulk loads, using a rounded CenterFlow body that eliminates the center sill to simplify gravity unloading. This ready-to-run model arrives fully assembled, with accurate painting and lettering for immediate operation.

Three body styles reproduce the car’s evolution—early versions with a high-side ladder and brake wheel and a single side stiffener; mid versions with a low brake wheel, shorter ladders at both ends, and a single side stiffener; and late versions with a low brake wheel, shorter ladders at both ends, and double side stiffeners (post-1971). The model includes round or trough hatches, a photo-etched roofwalk, and detailed outlets, plus weight balanced for steady running. It rides on 100-ton trucks with 36-inch machined metal wheels, features screw-mounted trucks and body-mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers, and is accurately painted and printed with multiple road numbers available. The minimum curve radius is 9¾ inches, designed to operate on standard hobby curves. The CenterFlow design was widely adopted to replace aging boxcars in grain service, and the common 4600-cu-ft variant remains a familiar staple in bulk-commodity railroading.