Athearn 4 truck flatcar

[Soo Line fan]

Is the Athearn 4 truck / 8 axle HD flatcar based on an actual prototype? Any photos?

Thanks in advance,

Jim

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Yes, it is based on a prototype. I've seen several on the rails in the last 40+ years.

[GAPPLEG]

Yep. Many different kinds of heavy duty flats, the athearn is a good generic one. See link

http://stewart.railfan.net/rail/sf6.htm

[cacole]

About 3 months ago I saw a train on the Union Pacific Sunset Route through SE Arizona with about 50 of those heavy duty flats running east, empty, with half of them marked DoD and the other half TTX.

They had apparently moved an armor brigade to the National Training Center in California or were on their way to pick up a brigade, possibly from Fort Hood, Texas, for deployment.

Those flats are also used to haul other heavy equipment such as large power transformers, generators, boilers, etc.

[Newyorkcentralfan]

Kinda sort of.

It's a oversize model of a commonwealth cast steel HD flat.

 

 

Is the Athearn 4 truck / 8 axle HD flatcar based on an actual prototype? Any photos?

Thanks in advance,

Jim

[twhite]

Hoo boy, that little puppy has been around at LEAST since I was in college, sometime after the First Crusade, LOL!  I've got two of the early Athearn models, bought in the late 'fifties, one for ERIE and the other for ATSF.  Had a whole bunch of little square weights in the kit, you had to drop them in the RIGHT compartments on the chassis, or you'd never get the deck cemented on!  I think they were even duplicated for a while by a Chinese company back in the early 'sixties. 

But yes, they're authentic (if a little generalized).  Haven't seen any lately, but I remember seeing them in regular use about forty years ago.  

The models are pretty nice, and if you replace the original plastic wheels with either Intermountain, or Proto, you've got a car that rolls really well, and can even be used WITHOUT a load at the head of a fairly long freight.  They're unusual enough that one or two of them can add a lot of variety to your freight equipment.   I think they originally came with three very bright orange 'pipes' for loads, and a wheel-brake at each end (which they probably needed). 

Tom 

[7j43k]

Well, it pretty much maps to several cast steel 4-truck flats from the post-war era.  I'm looking at pictures; and, from a distance, the model could pass for cars from NYC, C&NW, and Westinghouse.  Probably others, too.  There are two big flaws with the model, for me.  The worst is that the car sits way too high.  I don't have one of the models handy, but the prototype deck height should be about 4'.  The other thing that bugs me about the model is that, as I recall, the trucks are too close together on the bolster.  The distance between the adjoining axle centers should be the same as the truck wheelbase--typically 5'6".  If this bothers you as much as it does me, you'll be building new span bolsters for the car.

I did that.  I spent a whole lot of time turning this Athearn car into a pretty much exact model of NYC 499043.  There was so little left of the Athearn parts, I could probably just have scratchbuilt the critter.

Truth is, though, I'm a sucker for heavy duty flatcars. 

Ed

[Anonymous]

I Bought a great big HD Flat for Westinghouse equippted with a generator, engine or whatever. Hauling it proved to be problematic as it rocked under the stress behind the engine in the train. Having 4 pounds of HO train hooked to it indicated that I need to put it next to the caboose on the end.

[BigOzzy86]

I own about eleven of them.  I put Proto 2000 Metal wheelsets on them and they sound great as they go around my club layout.

As to prototype.... I have seen some.. or a variance of some near the steel mill south of the city.

[Soo Line fan]

I won it on idiot bay. I was after an Autoloader and the guy was selling the HD flat together with the Autoloader as a package deal. I paid less than $10 total for both of them, not too bad for a pair of NIB BB kits.

I was surprised how well it tracks, even with the 4 trucks. It does have the 2 brake wheels along with the drop in weights. I think it is a pretty neat car.

Thanks for the Info so far.

Jim

[Brian In Arkansas]

Yes, they are real... and I derailed one as a kid.

While walking home from school one day in the early 70's, I noticed one sitting on the (abandonded) Milwaukee road main line that was now a C&NW siding.

Curious as to what it was and the huge generator sitting on it, I went for a closer look and noticed a "derailer" left from the old passenger main line.

I basically kicked it and it fliped over... and the next day while on the way home... the transformer was on its side.

The derailer worked as the railroad was moving the transformer to the siding near the towns power plant.

"ooops"

Brian 

 

 

[Anonymous]

Hm.

Statue of Limitations anyone? =)

[Soo Line fan]

7 years for transformer tipping. He's safe

Jim