Athearn N Scale Announcements 05/27/2022

[ljudice]

Yeah on the acid tanks!

[sirenwerks]

I'll need to grab my tank car books and se if I can backdate that acid car to the early 70s...

[GaryHinshaw]

13K ACID TANK CAR (new tooling)
http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/052722/08_GENN_13K%20Acid%20Tank_052722.pdf

Yes!!!!!!!! Check another off the top 5 list.

[ai5629]

The black UTLX cars have a built date of 3/84, which just makes my modeling era: 6/84.  Do any tank car experts know if the black cars are in “as built” paint?  There is another piece of lettering on right side that says the lining was applied in 9/84.  I am hopeful they are in as built paint since they have CAPY and LT WT data on the left side, which would have been in use in 1984.  Tank cars switched to LD LMT and LT WT data on the left side around 1987 / 1988 to coincide with the CAPY data no longer being required on freight cars.  Thanks.

Jeff

I finally got a chance to sit down and research these cars some.  From what I can see, the black UTLX cars are from the series UTLX 13825-13899.  They appear to have been built starting in 03/84.  The "Lithcoat Lined 9/84" appears to be an error in Athearn's artwork.  There is a photo on Fallen Flags of UTLX 13831 taken on 8/11/84 clearly showing "Lithcoat Lined 4/84".  Easy to confuse a four with a nine.  See here:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/utlx/utlx13831bkg.jpg

I am thinking the black cars are in as built paint.  There is a good broadside shot of UTLX 13831 taken on 8/11/84, and the Athearn artwork matches it closely.  The only major difference is the CAPY / LT WT data is in a roman font on the prototype and a gothic font in the artwork. 

See here:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/utlx/utlx13831ckg.jpg

Another photo of black UTLX car in what appears to be as built paint taken 4/20/86:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/utlx/utlx13887akg.jpg

These appear to work for my modeling era, albeit not by much.  I now need to determine if I really need them.  Thanks.

Jeff

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Yep... HUGE hole in N scale has been filled. I'll be getting a few.

[robert3985]

Milk Cars.  Did any western roads run milk cars?  It's my late 40's to mid '50's era.  I don't remember seeing any milk cars in any of my reference photos of UP passenger trains.

Acid Tank Cars:  These look very nice!  Too bad they're way out of my era, but the good news is wheels with N-scale RP-25 flanges, and "RUBBER" brake air lines!!  That's very interesting.  I could sure use both if offered separately and in bulk!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[delamaize]

... The milk cars are cool, But I wish they would retool the trucks, and re release the Bombardier Commuter cars.....Especially in sounder.....

[nkalanaga]

Bob:  I'm fairly sure the GN, NP, and SP&S never ran milk cars, in the Northwest or elsewhere.  I'm not so sure of the MILW, but have never seen a picture of one.

[eja]

$44.99 for a single car  !

I am guessing they must not want to sell many.

e

[Frank Amato]

$44.99 for a single car  !

So keep in mind, that is MSRP.  Think about what your "hourly rate" would be to detail/paint/decal a similar model.

I am going to grab a few, but certainly not a unit train worth!

  Frank

[mu26aeh]

The newly tooled Atlas 3230 cement hopper is dropping at $47.  This will be the new normal for the foreseeable future due to the economic situation we're in.  Hopefully prices of what we need for daily life drop so we have our hobby funds to buy them. 

[basementcalling]

The newly tooled Atlas 3230 cement hopper is dropping at $47.  This will be the new normal for the foreseeable future due to the economic situation we're in.  Hopefully prices of what we need for daily life drop so we have our hobby funds to buy them.

Right. Wages in China were climbing before the pandemic screwed with supply chain issues. Price increases are likely here to stay. Dropping at $38 reservation price on N Scale Supply website.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Yep. Things get more expensive.

People complain that China is unfair because it's people are low paid.

Then when they start getting paid more people complain.

I think the bottom line is that people just like to complain.

Ironically in that same vein, nobody enjoys hearing them complain.

Ahh the modern world. I'll go back to sipping espresso and reading RMC now.

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[thomasjmdavis]

Bob:  I'm fairly sure the GN, NP, and SP&S never ran milk cars, in the Northwest or elsewhere.  I'm not so sure of the MILW, but have never seen a picture of one.

Edit: Apologies to nkalanaga - I somehow included the next couple lines (part of my post) in the quote above- not sure how I did that. The information below is incorrect as to the identity of the car, see nkalanaga's post on page 3 of this thread.

Not sure if it was in use as a milk car, or just as an express reefer, but our late friend Jerry Laboda's Passenger Car Photo site identifies this as a Pfaudler car- note the URTX reporting marks. A lot of railroads and private owners leased the cars in preference to purchasing.
https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/uploads/r/null/9/2/926434/6d76c105-0251-43b2-a132-35cce7e9dfb8-A28829.jpg

Also- a lot of railroads purchased surplus Pfaudler cars to use in MOW as water cars or other service where the tanks or insulation proved useful. IC and L&N had such cars, perhaps other roads as well.

Here's one - NOT a Pfaudler car, but does show that there were Western roads with milk service-
https://www.sacramentohistory.org/admin/photo/982_1946.jpg

[peteski]

. . .
I think the bottom line is that people just like to complain.
. . .

I thought this is a well know fact all along.