Good Luck, Morpar
QUOTE: Athearn’s kits represent some of the oldest still in production, with standards and accuracy for a more tolerant era, along with some of the state-of-the-art newest kits under their Genesis line. The new owners have concentrated on modern cars, and yet also have brought the hobby to new standards with their steam locos, yet the freight cars from the steam era surely must represent an embarrassment to the company. (Steam era freight car enthusiasts often use the term "Athearn" like an insult.) Their hoppers are represent the best of their steam-era freight cars, although they have more wrong schemes than right ones for each kit. It appears the new owners interested in doing new schemes, hopefully more accurate, but seem content to still crank out the wrong ones. Quad Hoppers 140-1749 40 Foot Quad Hopper - Based on the late ‘20’s ARA standard design. Within a few years, the way the offset ran out at the ends was changed, and one set of hoppers eliminated to essentially make the prototype of the Stewart triple. In 1949, 40 foot quads and triples made up a quarter of all the hoppers, and hoppers, in turn, made up a quarter of all freight cars. The Athearn quad represents 12,537 cars. By comparison, the Bowser/Westerfield H21 quad represents 39,369, mostly Pennsy, just over a 1,000 lettered for the B&O. The Westerfield USRA triple (mostly C&O and NYC) represent 17,848 cars. The Stewart triple represents a sizeable fleet, but I don't have a total. They might represent as much as 40,000 cars, but on the other hand, a lot of these were built in the early '50's, so their full impact would not be felt in '49. But you can see that you would need three Bowser cars and 1-1/2 Westerfield cars for every Athearn quad to balance the roster. (Modeling a specific region and road would drastically change this ratio. This is just to give you a sense of proportions.) This kit’s operating doors are a waste of effort and detract from the appearance. Prototypes include B&O, B&M, C&O, Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern, DL&W (purchased some B&M cars in ’52), Erie, MEC, M-K-T, MP, Montour (but with a sawtooth arrangement of the hoppers), and NH and TP&W (both post-steam). See our offset quad section for more information. Unfortunately, most of the Athearn schemes for this kit are wrong. (This kit was copied by Bachmann and AHM, and the schemes they offer the car are even more ridiculous.)
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
QUOTE: Originally posted by dehusman By the way that's extremely poor practice to plagarize the NEB&W website. Dave H.
QUOTE: Originally posted by BXCARMIKE it's to bad, now that athearns run by horizon,and their genisis line does correct prototype models, they would paint their older bb models in correct schemes