MicroTrains September 2022 Announcements

[mu26aeh]

Expensive month for me, 2 weathered CSX packs and 2 GATX boxcars

https://www.micro-trains.com/publicfiles/monthly/MN2209.pdf

[muktown128]

WOW - Those faded/weathered BN ex-CBQ hoppers look amazing.  Kudos to @MTLJoe, @MTL_Brandon and the rest of the MTL crew.

[John]

WOW - Those faded/weathered BN ex-CBQ hoppers look amazing.  Kudos to @MTLJoe, @MTL_Brandon and the rest of the MTL crew.

They are -- I'm just glad I've stopped buying rolling stock (mostly)

[Jbub]

UGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! Why is all this cool stuff that I want coming out when I have to pay for school and for repairs on my truck???

[CBQ Fan]

I will be be picking up a few cars from this run!

[thomasjmdavis]

I'm tempted by the B&O cement cars.  I don't need them for any operation I am contemplating, but I have to admit that I find modified boxcars hard to pass up.  The info I could find indicates that over 20 of them survived into the 1950s.  And the War of the Worlds train is inspired.  But they should have included an "Orson Welles" pullman obs, and a horse car painted up as the "Mercury Theater" radio equipment car.

[oakcreekco]

Looking forward to the #3 TTX 60' car this month.

Thoroughly enjoying the first two.

[learmoia]

HALLOWEEN SET FOR ME

[High Hood]

What exactly are those CSX Ortners used for?

[RockGp40]

What exactly are those CSX Ortners used for?

Stone primarily. There is a grading system for the different sizes depending on the needs of the aggregate company.

[Philip H]

Welp there goes the Christmas fund.  I'll need those BKTY/GATX boxes and the CSX ortners.

[JoeD]

I'm tempted by the B&O cement cars.  I don't need them for any operation I am contemplating, but I have to admit that I find modified boxcars hard to pass up.  The info I could find indicates that over 20 of them survived into the 1950s.  And the War of the Worlds train is inspired.  But they should have included an "Orson Welles" pullman obs, and a horse car painted up as the "Mercury Theater" radio equipment car.

it can happen

[milw156]

 As seen in 2006. That is AWESOME Joe!
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=275270

[kiwi_bnsf]

I was initially excited about the BN Weathered Covered Hopper as it's correct for my era, and looks great.

Unfortunately, 30 seconds of research on Railcarphotos.com told me that this was an ACF 4600 cuft Covered Hopper, not a 4650 cuft. The 4600s are quite a different looking car: they sit lower, and they have a distinctive horizontal rib not present on the Micro Trains 4650 tooling. (As an aside, Athearn make an excellent model of the 4600, and it adds some interesting variety in the sea of 4650s).

Anyway, I'll readily admit that I'll be in the single digit percentage of modellers who actually care about this, but it would be nice if Micro Trains could trawl through the photos on Railcarphotos and RRpictures et al to find some weathering candidates that match their specific tooling (i.e. a late 4650 in this case).

Something like this…

   http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5649936


There is so much info online available on prototypes — for example a great listing of BN Covered Hoppers here at Railgoat:

   http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/other_cars/bn_cars/bn_type/hopper/3b_covd.htm
   

For sad people like me (infected with a bad case of prototype-itis), Micro Trains would extract more money from my wallet if they released more accurate paint schemes for their tooling.

Anyway, I'll go back in my train cave now.

Cheers

[JoeD]

I was initially excited about the BN Weathered Covered Hopper as it's correct for my era, and looks great.

Unfortunately, 30 seconds of research on Railcarphotos.com told me that this was an ACF 4600 cuft Covered Hopper, not a 4650 cuft. The 4600s are quite a different looking car: they sit lower, and they have a distinctive horizontal rib not present on the Micro Trains 4650 tooling. (As an aside, Athearn make an excellent model of the 4600, and it adds some interesting variety in the sea of 4650s).

Anyway, I'll readily admit that I'll be in the single digit percentage of modellers who actually care about this, but it would be nice if Micro Trains could trawl through the photos on Railcarphotos and RRpictures et al to find some weathering candidates that match their specific tooling (i.e. a late 4650 in this case).

Something like this…

   http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5649936


There is so much info online available on prototypes — for example a great listing of BN Covered Hoppers here at Railgoat:

   http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/other_cars/bn_cars/bn_type/hopper/3b_covd.htm
   

For sad people like me (infected with a bad case of prototype-itis), Micro Trains would extract more money from my wallet if they released more accurate paint schemes for their tooling.

Anyway, I'll go back in my train cave now.

Cheers

I never turn away proto suggestions with photos attached.   I'll include this in my new car folder, thank you very much.   All too often we get concerns (not saying yours is of course) about how proto something is or isn't without a follow on example we can draw from.  We are a small crew here putting out huge numbers of cars each month,  sometimes up to 20 different schemes...  Anyone who has a suggestion, please send along a photo or two we can use...it would help me greatly.   Thanks 

Joe