The Hoppers are used for transporting large amounts of bulk material such as coal, ballast, and stone. They are commonly used for railway construction on Sodor, such as when the Harwick Branch Line was being built. During that time, several hoppers of ballast loads were seen in the Construction Yard. Hoppers are mostly used at quarries or mines.
BR 22 Ton Hoppers[]
The North Western Railway owns a selection of BR 22 Ton Hoppers. In The Railway Series, these hoppers have been seen being pulled by James, carrying ballast for trackwork along The Main Line. In the television series, these hoppers are commonly used by quarries, such as the Blue Mountain Quarry and the Ffarquhar Quarry. They first appeared in the fourteenth series.
Basis[]
These hoppers are based on BR 22 ton iron ore hoppers.
Livery[]
In the Railway Series, these hoppers have been seen painted yellow, purple, red, and grey. In the television series, they are painted black.
ZFV Dogfish Hoppers[]
In the television series, the North Western Railway owns some ZFV Dogfish hoppers. These hoppers are often used to carry ballast from Arlesburgh West and were heavily used during the construction of the Harwick Branch Line. They first appeared in the fifteenth series.
Basis[]
These hoppers are based on British Railways' ZFV 'Dogfish' ballast hoppers. Some hoppers of this type survive in use on the Bluebell Railway.
Livery[]
These hoppers have been seen in varying shades of green, red, orange, and grey. From the seventeenth series onward they are painted grey with brown frames.
ICI Hoppers[]
In the television series, the North Western Railway owns an ICI bogie hopper named Hector. In Stories From Sodor:Future, the Sudrian Crystal Railway owns three more named Crazy Lace, Sunstone, and Obsidian.
Basis[]
These hoppers are based on ICI bogie hoppers.
Livery[]
Hector is painted black with "HECTOR" painted on both sides in cream, and white wheel rims.
Crazy Lace is painted orange with yellow wheels with lavender rims and purple bufferbeams. She has her gems on her sides.
Sunstone is painted orange with yellow wheels and bufferbeams. She has her gems on her side.
Obsidian is painted black with orange wheels and bufferbeams. She has her gems on her side.
Trivia[]
- Until the introduction of Crazy Lace, Sunstone, and Obsidian in the fourteenth season, Hector was the only hopper wagon that had been named and seen with a face.
- However, Peridot was originally planned to be a hopper before becoming an engine. Diamond, Jasper, and Malachite were also originally planned to be hoppers before becoming 7-Plank Trucks.