HO Balloon Top Coach, VIA Rail Canada #5181

The Balloon Top coaches – or “Canadian Flyers” as they often called by railfans – are a series of 50 day coaches built by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1937 for Canadian National, numbered 5180-5229. (An order of 25 additional cars was delivered in 1942, with significant spotting differences.) The 1937 Balloon Tops were transferred to VIA Rail Canada in 1978, and the last car – 5186 – was finally retired in 1996!

The Rapido Trains HO scale Balloon Top Coaches features:

• Scaled from CC&F blueprints and 3D scans of the real cars
• Full multi-colour interior detail with separate seats including see-through arm rests
• Track-powered interior lighting with capacitor system, operated by magnetic wand
• Super detailed, free-rolling 6-wheel Commonwealth trucks with truck-mounted
  generator detail
• Separately applied grab irons and handrails
• Sprung diaphragms with etched-metal end gates
• Flush-mounted windows with printed window blinds
• Full underbody detail with separate piping