With materials rationed during the war and the demand for coal as high as ever, car builders made do and produced steel hoppers with wood sides to meet the demand on time. Following the war, many of these cars would have the wood sides replaced with steel but some made it into the 1960s in their original form. Lionel's new cars feature realistic molded in details for added durability and lower costs making it easy to build a long coal train of your own. With seven road numbers available per road, building a long train has never been easier.