Lionel 9015 Reading Hopper

Built 1-73. This car is part of a 1973 set that I picked up on ebay. They came with a 8304 steam engine. Back in 1990 when I first started getting new cars, I thought the late 80's and early 90's cars were pretty cheaply made. I now know that they were spectacular cars compared to some of the stuff that Lionel put out in the 70's. This stuff is REALLY cheaply made. Plastic everything. The only metal parts on these things are the axles wheels. Even the little rivet thing that hold the truck to the car is plastic! Thank God Lionel doesn't put out stuff like this anymore. I have since put die-cast sprung trucks on this piece, which has made all the difference.