PRE-ORDER: Bluford Shops 60544 - 30'6" USRA 2-Bay Hopper Bessemer and Lake Erie (BLE) 43712 - N Scale

Pre-Order Due Date:  July 7 2026

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Pre-Order FAQ

 

Most manufacturers give an ETA on when they expect to release the pre-order which can be seen near the "add to cart" button on the product page. They also give an order due date (found in the product description) which is indicative of when the product is expected to go into production.

There is a 5% NON-refundable deposit for preorders, this amount will be deducted from the price of the product when it arrives. You will see how much downpayment is required after adding the item to your cart. We do not store your payment information and it is not charged by us when the product arrives.

For any pre-order submitted after the due date, we will try our best to fulfill your pre-order, but are at the mercy of the manufacturer and if they produce more than were preordered by their dealers. If we cannot fulfill your pre-order we will credit the 5% deposit to you.

When the pre-ordered product(s) are available to ship, you will receive an email requesting the remaining 95% payment that will take you to your cart. It is at this point you are asked for shipping address and method OR in-store pickup.. We will never charge your payment method without you checking out. At this time you are also able to add other in-stock items if you wish.

Please note that Estimated Arrival Dates can change at any point. Midwest Model Railroad is not responsible for manufacturers delaying production. Visit midwestmodelrr.com/pre-orders/ for more information.

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Bessemer & Lake Erie was known for loading iron ore from boats on Lake Erie for steel mills in southwestern Pennsylvania. They would then re-load the same hoppers from nearby coal mines and deliver them back to Lake Erie. However, B&LE used much larger hoppers for this work. These little 50-ton cars were loaded with coal for delivery to retail dealers and small and medium sized industries across the region. This is because these customers often had lightly built coal-dump trestles that would not withstand a 70 or 90 ton hopper.