N scale Southern Pacific SP Work Car

Southern Pacific W-50-3 “Hart Convertible” Ballast Car – N Scale Kit

By Folsom Locomotive Works

A note on decal sheet availability: Our work cars are 3D printed to order, but each model's decals come from limited print runs. Inventory is tracked per decal series (SP10, SP12, PE60, PE62) across all car body styles.

If your order includes multiple cars sharing the same decal series and exceeds our current stock, we'll fulfill what we can immediately and contact you with an updated timeline for the remainder. We appreciate your patience — good things take time on the railroad!

For the first time in N scale, the Southern Pacific W-50-3 “Hart Convertible” ballast car is now available — in four distinct lettering variations.

Originally built by the Rodger Ballast Car Company in 1910–1911, these versatile cars could be configured either as side-dump hoppers for ballast or, by folding down the slope sheets and relocating the end beams, converted into 40-foot gondolas for general material service. Used exclusively in Maintenance-of-Way (MOW) duty, they never entered interchange service and remained on SP rails throughout their long careers.

Beginning in the late 1920s, many were rebuilt at Sacramento and other SP shops, removing the side-dump doors and replacing them with solid sides—simplifying the cars into fixed-side ballast cars. Although this model includes the SP medallion herald, only one documented prototype is known to have carried it; most were plain-lettered with standard reporting marks. Nearly all retained their arch-bar trucks until retirement—anachronistic by the 1950s, yet typical for non-revenue SP equipment.

The W-50-3 remains a hallmark of Southern Pacific ingenuity: adaptable, hardworking, and enduring for more than four decades of service.

Decal Options (choose at checkout):

SP 12xxx series – 5 road numbers (1911–1960s)

SP 10xxx series – 10 road numbers (1911–1960s)

PE 60xx series – 10 road numbers (1911–1912, “as-built”)

PE 62xx series – 10 road numbers (1912–1960s)

Note: The PE 60xx cars were renumbered shortly after delivery; these decals are offered for modelers wishing to depict “as-built” versions.

Additional Details:

handling instructions can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wyXfbqVb5zVcjb_PqlgIgdLh2HTTFr_M/view?usp=sharing
Trucks and couplers not included

Correct prototype trucks: arch-bar type (model shown with temporary Bettendorf trucks)
© 2025 Folsom Locomotive Works.
Model geometry and design are original works.
Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, or resale prohibited.