Hello,I would like to buy some Athearn's Coalporter sets. They just released 5 car sets. I'm going to set up a BNSF train (two or free locomotives) with 15 or 20 cars. I wonder if I can combine all cars to have an realistic train. Cars availabe are: BNSF, CCTX, CONRAIL, FURX, OGEX, TGNX. I saw some movies on youtube where BNSF cars were together with TGNX in the same train. So I guess this combination is possible.What else can I consist in the same train ? Maybe OGEX, FURX ? What will be more realistic ? 2xBNSF + 2TGNX or 4 different sets. For example: 1xBNSF + 1xTGNX + 1xOGEX + 1xFURX. Different cars will be more atractive for the eye but probably it doesn't happend very offen when the cars are so mixed in the one long train.
arras88,
Usually all the cars in a train using coalporters are of the same reporting marks.
I went to Wikipedia and looked up rerporting marks. It is frequently useful, anyways I looked up three of them that end with X, and the first three are power companies, and they are unlikley to use other power companies cars; however, I am sure that at some point one power company may buy, rent, borrow...chose your scenario. Perhaps the BNSF cars would be used as a filler when some of the private cars are in the RIP or heavy repair track. You can use what ever story, or it is easy enough to change the numbers on cars.
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR
Coalporters run in unit trains and carried the same road name in most cases however,like all things railroad never bet the farm.
You could add lease FURX coalporters and be correct. Also BN coalporters will work with BNSF.
I have seen this on BNSF unit trains on CSX while watching the Fostoria,Ohio rail cam.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I'm not a particular fan of coalporter. I much prefer irvingberlin or jeromekern.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
And if you aren't modern, there is always Robbie Coaltrain.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
rio,
I was thinking more John Coaltrain. Okay, back to the regularly-scheduled program...
tstageI'm not a particular fan of coalporter. I much prefer irvingberlin or jeromekern. Tom
Nice !!
Thank very much for all answers.
I believe I have long strings of NORX coalporters which I think is Indiana power and light on the tracks by I-80 outside Chicago.
Joe Staten Island West
The cars in BNSF coal trains I've studied are all mixed together--pretty randomly.
I'd recommend trying to find some of the other versions of BNSF cars (there's three: original brown, green, and black block) and BN (two: green and black). In 2010, anyway, there weren't a lot of non-BNSF/BN cars--maybe 10 out of 100, at most. In the trains I've studied.
You'd also see in the Coalporter trains in 2010 a lot of BN Aeroflo gons. Intermountain is starting to sell these. The models are very crude, but they're all we've got for now. Myself, I'm going to wait until someone makes good ones before buying. But you may choose not to.
I've got data for 2015, but I haven't gotten to analyzing it yet.
Ed
tstage I'm not a particular fan of coalporter. I much prefer irvingberlin or jeromekern. Tom
Tom, groannnnnnnnnnnn... LOL!
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
7j43kI've got data for 2015, but I haven't gotten to analyzing it yet. Ed
Interesting..I knew there was railfans that kept data on locomotives as well as the train number/symbol they have seen and photograph.
Thanks for sharing that tidbit of railfan information.
NORX cars are destined for the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) power plant in Michigan City, In. They are typically hauled by UP. I also have several of these cars from Walthers, E&C Shops, Athearn and LBF. Len S.
tstage rio, I was thinking more John Coaltrain. Okay, back to the regularly-scheduled program... Tom
Who is John Coaltrain? Many movie goers are familiar with Robbie, a Scottish actor, known for his roles as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the James Bond films GoldenEye ...
LenS NORX cars are destined for the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) power plant in Michigan City, In. They are typically hauled by UP. I also have several of these cars from Walthers, E&C Shops, Athearn and LBF. Len S.
I am modeling the NORX coal train myself, but pre-1990's when it was the D&RGW who handled the west end of the run and ran the train over Tennessee Pass. Of course Athearn offered the Thrall Hi-side gons in the NORX yellow end scheme but really needs to run another few sets - the original sets are long sold out and rare as hens teeth to find. I could use a couple more sets!
Thank you I wasn't sure what NORX was just know I had seen the cars.
I was thinking Rosco P.Coltrane and his dog Flash.
riogrande5761 tstage rio, I was thinking more John Coaltrain. Okay, back to the regularly-scheduled program... Tom Who is John Coaltrain? Many movie goers are familiar with Robbie, a Scottish actor, known for his roles as Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the James Bond films GoldenEye ...
John Coltrane ("Trane") was a prominant jazz saxophonist in the 50s & 60s. Played and recorded with noted jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Johnny Hartman, as well as recording solo albums.
Don't forget Louis Strong-in-the-arm, can not run a coal fired train without someone like him on the shovel.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I'm more of Smooth Jazz genre fan so a those jazz greats, while I have heard of them, they aren't on the top of my memory list of names re: John Coltrane.
Running unit trains makes sense. Have you checked photos of BNSF also? I think a mix of different cars is quite realistic and eye-catching with most from BNSF. Of course you don't want a rainbow of different colors, sizes, etc. for the consist.
I also am gathering coal cars in VA during the 1980s. As such, heavy emphasis on C&O, B&O, N&W, SOO, etc. Of course a 'stray' coal car from the West Coast isn't too uncommon.
About that 2015 data I mentioned earlier:
About a month ago, I was train watching and photographing on the north bank of the Columbia.
Regarding coal, the train quantity has dropped way down from 2010. No surprise to most of you. I photographed 2 BNSF gondola-style coal trains and 1 hopper style. For the gondola style, I noted a huge increase in private owner cars over 2010. Here's the car breakdown for one of them:
Private owner:
20 FURX
13 CITX
10 GGPX
5 CEFX
4 CAEG
3 TILX
2 AERX
2 MQRX
one each: BNBX, ADLX, ESCX, MILX, DLRX
Total private owner (except CAEG, I suppose): 64
Railroad owned:
26 BNSF "swoosh"
16 BNSF basic brown
16 BN green
5 BNSF black block
Total railroad 63
While all these cars were gondolas, not all were Coalporters. For example, there were some BN aeroflo cars.
[quote user="tstage"]
[/quote
Tom Waits while Jeremy Irons.
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Nice, Dave. And did I ever share with you my pride & joy?