unit train suggestions

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Hey Joe, here's one, and you may have the cars..... The Hammermill Paper unit paper train. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/118739113@N05/27346443404

1/3 logs:  https://modeltrainmarket.com/products/n-scale-micro-trains-mtl-11500061-hpax-hammermill-paper-100-log-flatcar-85014?srsltid=AfmBOoonbSadJwZAhqJE82W_gpKlYB_yA-0jqh4eKM8tj433S9-xYAl6

1/3 50' 'normal' boxcars for pulp rolls - CR, NS 'railbox' style boxcars.

1/3 chip hoppers - HPAX - I don't think you made this car but somebody did, 100-ton 'box' hoppers that were end-dumped or unloaded with an excavator on site.
This style but not this car - they were black, lettered HPAX:  https://www.smokymountainmodelworks.com/images/SOU%20139566%20Asheville%20NC%209-11-2007%20cropped%20web.jpg

I've got photos of this equipment.   Ran with CR and NS GP38's between 1985 and September 2000 across Pennsylvania (Lock Haven - Erie)

As far as I know the last, and only, 'unit paper train' in the United States, and the last true 'log train' on a common-carrier.

Whoa! The Hammermill train has long been a Conrail fan white whale. People know it exists but that one photo you posted is the only photo I've ever actually seen of it. And I've seen a LOT of Conrail photos...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

PRR/PC/Conrail G39 Ore Jennies. Long life, a couple variety of railroads, and they traveled. Cars were also used later on for a lot of big infrastructure projects to move dirt around.

Don't tell him that! I need to find a job first...

[High Hood]

Not exactly a unit train, but N&W built over 22,000 hoppers to this design - they could be seen in a surprisingly large variety of places all over the country.



MTL has done two road numbers in this scheme (unfortunately, MTL's lettering had several serious errors).

A "runner" set with correct "hamburger" herald and other corrections would get at least one sale. 

Mark

I recently did a bit of research in breaking down the paint schemes of the H11A-H11E. I’d love the see a runner pack with multiple classes and schemes.

400 H-11A Steam Scheme
2,600 H-11A Hamburger
9,200 H-11B Hamburger
4,700 H-11C Hamburger
100 H-11C Unpainted COR-TEN/Hamburger
200 H-11D Unpainted COR-TEN/Hamburger
700 H-11D Hamburger
1,000 H-11D Simplified N&W
2,000 H-11D NW High Number Placement
1,269 H-11E NW Low Number Placement

[dem34]

Don't tell him that! I need to find a job first...

Somebody made an FDM friendly model of them a few yrs ago if your feeling like you need a forever project.

[JoeD]

Not exactly a unit train, but N&W built over 22,000 hoppers to this design - they could be seen in a surprisingly large variety of places all over the country.



MTL has done two road numbers in this scheme (unfortunately, MTL's lettering had several serious errors).

A "runner" set with correct "hamburger" herald and other corrections would get at least one sale. 

Mark

I was going to do this until you said we did someting wrong.  LOL ...love it.  I'll send it up.  thanks

[randgust]

Whoa! The Hammermill train has long been a Conrail fan white whale. People know it exists but that one photo you posted is the only photo I've ever actually seen of it. And I've seen a LOT of Conrail photos...

It came through here at night when it was running on time.  I'd hear air horns coming and run down to the crossing to see it.  The GP38's had dual radios for both CR/NS and Allegheny, so they were a dedicated set.   They did get repainted into NS at the end, I saw them.

I saw it in daylight both in the very early days when ALY was running it with their own power, and then on one particularly great day when it got delayed somewhere and came though daylight, and I had the camera.  So I have my own shots.

[robert3985]

Since I'm locked into a 1947 thru 1956 era, "unit trains" means maybe something different to me. 

However, one of my favorite "unit trains" is a reefer block, pulled on my layout usually by a Big Boy, or a Challenger (empties) or a Standard Turbine...

Photo (1) - Reefer Block at the west end of Echo Yard after coaling up at the Echo Coaling Tower:


Photo (2) - Empty reefer block on the westbound track meeting eastbound reefer block at Echo Curve:


I also like UP's Livestock Despatch pulled by F-unit lashups. Unfortunately, nobody makes a correct UP stockcar, but it still looks impressive.

Photo (3) - UP Livestock Despatch with MTL UP Livestock Despatch stockcars, which are incorrect, but still look good:


Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Englewood]

Modern rock hoppers.
Modern rock hoppers.
Modern rock hoppers.
Or intermodal cars for your 53' containers.

[samusi01]

You've been killing it with the beets... more of the same, in NP (again) and SP... unit trains from the 50s to the 90s. Just the thing for those new tunnel motors. No tooling required.

New tooling ideas:

48' rag top container, your well cars, viola! Garbage train. Been running for decades now.

An area that is sadly lacking - probably for good commercial reasons - would be the Minnesota iron ore cars. Unit trains from way back and adding in a variety of truck types from solid bearing, to solid converted to roller bearing, to roller bearing would mean minimal work to have cars that would span decades of use.

[Tristan Ashcroft]

Whoa! The Hammermill train has long been a Conrail fan white whale. People know it exists but that one photo you posted is the only photo I've ever actually seen of it. And I've seen a LOT of Conrail photos...

I suspect you've seen pictures that you've forgotten.  There are 2 pictures of that train as part of the yellow door boxcar article in the spring 2018 Conrail Quarterly - one on the cover, one on p. 27.  There is also a picture in Jeremy Taylor's Conrail Commodities book - p. 155.

Now a shot of the EASTbound Hammermill train...  I don't recall having seen one of those.

[cfritschle]

Another "vote" for sugar beet unit trains.  The unit train showing being loaded with sugar beets in October 2012 near Pingree, ID traveled from southeastern Idaho to southwestern Idaho at least through 2012.  However, I have memories of seeing sugar beet unit trains in southern Idaho as early the 1960s, and I have photos of them from the mid-1980s to early 2000s.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1657554,-112.558069,3a,75y,298.51h,89.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1skIBiAwjQvw7gOk0E0mGoUQ!2e0!5s20121001T000000!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205409&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

While the MTL 3-bay open hopper is one of the cars needed to make these trains, the Trainworx quad and Tangent quad open hoppers would also be needed to make the complete unit train.

[mstl 246]

I'm with Robert for a reefer block set and would be in for a runner pack of the recent PFE cars with the black SP & UP logos.

Nat

[crrcoal]

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-slide-cr-8066-leads-hpa-3914562468
Same train you speak of?

Whoa! The Hammermill train has long been a Conrail fan white whale. People know it exists but that one photo you posted is the only photo I've ever actually seen of it. And I've seen a LOT of Conrail photos...

[ridinshotgun]

Another "vote" for sugar beet unit trains.  The unit train showing being loaded with sugar beets in October 2012 near Pingree, ID traveled from southeastern Idaho to southwestern Idaho at least through 2012.  However, I have memories of seeing sugar beet unit trains in southern Idaho as early the 1960s, and I have photos of them from the mid-1980s to early 2000s.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1657554,-112.558069,3a,75y,298.51h,89.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1skIBiAwjQvw7gOk0E0mGoUQ!2e0!5s20121001T000000!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205409&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

While the MTL 3-bay open hopper is one of the cars needed to make these trains, the Trainworx quad and Tangent quad open hoppers would also be needed to make the complete unit train.

Holy cow how could I forget beet trains on the SP!!!!!

Yes I change my suggestion from copper concentrate cars to SP beet gondolas!  Post 1960 and hey they can even wear some USGX markings from the time after SP sold the fleet in the 80's.

[JoeD]

we have a four pack of CRTN sugar beet cars in our 108 series coming out in November with sugar beet loads.  I wish we had a 4 bay to add to the mix.
Joe

Another "vote" for sugar beet unit trains.  The unit train showing being loaded with sugar beets in October 2012 near Pingree, ID traveled from southeastern Idaho to southwestern Idaho at least through 2012.  However, I have memories of seeing sugar beet unit trains in southern Idaho as early the 1960s, and I have photos of them from the mid-1980s to early 2000s.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1657554,-112.558069,3a,75y,298.51h,89.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1skIBiAwjQvw7gOk0E0mGoUQ!2e0!5s20121001T000000!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205409&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

While the MTL 3-bay open hopper is one of the cars needed to make these trains, the Trainworx quad and Tangent quad open hoppers would also be needed to make the complete unit train.