By TIM BLACKWELL/Cowcatcher Magazine For years, American Car and Foundry Co. was known for its two-bay and three-bay covered hoppers. Thousands were seen throughout the North American rail network beginning in the 1960s, and many are still on the road hauling dry goods that need to be protected from the environment.                 American Car and Foundry Co. formed in 1899 in New Jersey when 13 small railroad manufacturers merged. Its first cars were made primarily of wood and transported both passengers and freight. AC&F produced many of Union Pacific’s armour-yellow carbon-steel lightweight passenger cars as well as the Missouri Pacific Missouri River streamliners.                 Early hoppers were made entirely of steel, with gondola and flatcars following (although with wood floors), according to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum (North Freedom, WI) website.                 The company operated as AC&F until 1955 when it became ACF Industries, Inc., a company that still exists and … Continue reading Product Review: InterMountain N-scale hoppers