Athearn 40' Drop Sill Parcel Trailer

[ryan_wilkerson]

Saw this on the Athearn website:
    Brand new tooling!
    Painted wheels
    Rubber tires
http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=40%27+Parcel+Trailer&CatID=TN

[Wutter]

Trailer experts: What is the difference between these and the Trainworx drop frame trailers or is it just the deco that is different?

[peteski]

Saw this on the Athearn website:
    Brand new tooling!
    Painted wheels
    Rubber tires

That to me is not a good feature (especially in N scale). Separate rubbery tires just don't fit the rim well enough or have fine enough tread to look realistic. But even more important, in my experience (with 1:64 scale die-cast automobile models), is that after some time the plasticizer often leaches out of the PVC material used for the tires leaving oily puddle under the tire. That plasicizer sometimes attacks and softens other plastic parts or paint. No "rubber" please! 

[cfritschle]

Trailer experts: What is the difference between these and the Trainworx drop frame trailers or is it just the deco that is different?

For all practical purposes, it is the same trailer.  The Athearn artwork does not show a pintle hook, but that may be just because the artwork is only intended to depict the paint schemes.

UPS had multiple builders, but the differences among the trailers when reduced to N scale would be negligible.

Now if Athearn were to tool a bull-nose, flat floor 28-foot pup, that would be exciting!

Carter

[jagged ben]

Wow.  More duplication.  But I'm sure these will be popular.

[James Costello]

I'd like to understand manufacturers, I really would.... Geez...

Top 5 Intermodal products Athearn does in HO that would be of more use in N than another 40' UPS drop frame trailer:

1) Wabash National 53' Duraplate Trailer (distinctively different from Trainworx sheet and post)
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/102513/08_RTR_53_Wabash%20Duraplate%20Trailer_102513.pdf
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/062615/07_RTR_53'_Wabash_Duraplate_Trailer_062615.pdf

2) 53' Utility Reefer Trailer
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/073013/08_RTR_53_Reefer_Trailer.pdf
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/022814/05_RTR_53'_Reefer%20Trailer_022814.pdf
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/062416/07_RTR_53ft_Utility_Reefer_Trailer_062416.pdf

3) 53' Monon Platewall Container (JB Hunt specific)

4) 53' Stoughton Exterior Post Container (distinctively different from Kato - especially the nose).
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/042415/12_RTR_53ft_Container_042415.pdf

5) 28' Container (Parcel Service)
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/122915/07_RTR_28ft_Container_122915.pdf

On the upside, it's not another 53' Jindo / CMIC corrugated can... 

For those keeping score, Athearn announced this run in HO in mid-2014....so just over two years to get shrunk to N.

[GaryHinshaw]

Top 5 Intermodal products Athearn does in HO that would be of more use in N...:

Preach it, brother! 

[Philip H]

It occurs to me that we N scalers do. It really know what to do with an embarrassment of riches. How many folks didn't or couldn't get part of the Trainworx runs? How many couldn't get enough? Are we really going to imitate our SPF colleagues (" my kingdom for a K-4; oh my god THEY can't possibly have made a decent K-4)?.

 

[bman]

For all practical purposes, it is the same trailer.  The Athearn artwork does not show a pintle hook, but that may be just because the artwork is only intended to depict the paint schemes.

UPS had multiple builders, but the differences among the trailers when reduced to N scale would be negligible.

Now if Athearn were to tool a bull-nose, flat floor 28-foot pup, that would be exciting!

Carter

From the articles on UPS in the Intermodal Modeler's Guide Vol 2, UPS purchased 40' drop sill trailers for both over-the-road and rail use in the mid 1960's.  The 40' drop sill trailers built for rail service were build with or without a pintle hook.  The color of the stripes on the rear and reporting mark determine whether the trailer has a pintle hook or not.  UPOZ trailers had a pintle hook and the yellow stripes.  UPSZ ones did not have a pintle hook and had the red stripe.  The stripes lasted until the early 90's from what I'm reading.  These trailers were built by Kentucky, Theurer and Southwest. 

While I'm not going to complain about getting to add vans to my intermodal train, I'd like to see the 28' container produced as well. BN had some  these for a while as well in the era I model.   I've cut down some Con-Cor ones and am in the process of painting/decaling them.  That means they are probably right around the corner.    The container saddles to put 2 28' containers in the top position on a 48' one in a well car would be the icing on the cake.  Although that didn't last very long it's still neat to see in photos. 

[Ike the BN Freak]

While I'm not going to complain about getting to add vans to my intermodal train, I'd like to see the 28' container produced as well. BN had some  these for a while as well in the era I model.   I've cut down some Con-Cor ones and am in the process of painting/decaling them.  That means they are probably right around the corner.    The container saddles to put 2 28' containers in the top position on a 48' one in a well car would be the icing on the cake.  Although that didn't last very long it's still neat to see in photos.

However the 28' containers BN America had are different than the ones everyone else had. The BNA's had ISO post at 24' while the others have them at 20'

I need to build me a few of the BNA 28' containers, probably do 2 in the saddles and a couple on chassis.

[peteski]

Seems that UPS finally relaxed thei licencing process. 

Remember when the first TRAINWORX 40' parcel trailers came out they were originally announced only as undecorated or painted gray with road number decals included for the modelers to make them into UPS trailers?  Then suddenly Pat made them available in factory-decorated UPS schemes. Next, the 28-footers arrived in UPS markings, then the tractors showed up painted the official UPS-brown and with color logos. Now Athearn is making official (I think) UPS models.

That is great!  Hopefully the UPS delivery vans (older and the current ugly ones will are also on the horizon.  But I did ask Pat about this and he says that he is too busy with other projects to even consider UPS delivery vans. Maybe Athearn will do them?

[James Costello]

Athearn has been a UPS licensee for about a decade I'm guessing.

[jagged ben]

From the articles on UPS in the Intermodal Modeler's Guide Vol 2, UPS purchased 40' drop sill trailers for both over-the-road and rail use in the mid 1960's.  The 40' drop sill trailers built for rail service were build with or without a pintle hook.  The color of the stripes on the rear and reporting mark determine whether the trailer has a pintle hook or not.  UPOZ trailers had a pintle hook and the yellow stripes.  UPSZ ones did not have a pintle hook and had the red stripe.  The stripes lasted until the early 90's from what I'm reading.  These trailers were built by Kentucky, Theurer and Southwest. 

...

From what I have gathered, the use of yellow and red color coding dates from about 1985 to about 1992.   I do not know if this means that the pintle hook trailers didn't exist before 1985 or if it just means the color coding wasn't used.    Perhaps the pintle hooks were retrofitted to trailers in the 80s rather than purchased with them.   I've looked a bit and found no evidence of UPOZ reporting marks before 1985, though that doesn't mean they didn't exist, and everything I've found confirms what you said about the reporting mark distinction. 

The original red stripes from the 60s were thicker and went all round the front and rear ends (except the top front), as seen here.  In the color coding era, the stripes were thinner and were only on the sides of the front and rear ends, not top or bottom.

Here is a great picture of a UPOZ, with what I gather is extra frame and the pintle hooks at bottom rear.  (Compare to last link.)     I did not realize until today that Trainworx actually modeled this, and there are two different versions of their trailer.   

[bman]

From what I have gathered, the use of yellow and red color coding dates from about 1985 to about 1992.   I do not know if this means that the pintle hook trailers didn't exist before 1985 or if it just means the color coding wasn't used.    Perhaps the pintle hooks were retrofitted to trailers in the 80s rather than purchased with them.   I've looked a bit and found no evidence of UPOZ reporting marks before 1985, though that doesn't mean they didn't exist, and everything I've found confirms what you said about the reporting mark distinction. 

The original red stripes from the 60s were thicker and went all round the front and rear ends (except the top front), as seen here.  In the color coding era, the stripes were thinner and were only on the sides of the front and rear ends, not top or bottom.

Here is a great picture of a UPOZ, with what I gather is extra frame and the pintle hooks at bottom rear.  (Compare to last link.)     I did not realize until today that Trainworx actually modeled this, and there are two different versions of their trailer.

The 40 footers were originally all UPSZ according to the article.  It does mention the switch to UPSZ and UPOZ but no date given. I would think that the ones with pintle hooks were delivered with them.  What were then called thru-way, and now turnpike doubles, doubles started around 1959 or so on I-90 if I remember my history correctly.  I tried to find some detailed info on what was legal when on LCV's (long combination vehicles) but didn't find much.  Since I worked in LTL for many years starting in the mid-eighties, I seem to try to get my trailers more prototypical than my rail cars.  It's a mania I seem to have. 

[cfritschle]

As far as UPS licensing goes, each production run requires a new licensing agreement.  And that will only occur if UPS approves the models in advance, as well as samples from the production run. 

UPS is extremely strict about the quality of the models produced, and it is possible to have an entire production run rejected!

Carter