I received my two Challengers, two oil burners. Just as I feared the oil bunker is the modern one currently in use on 3985. Oil bunkers on UP Centipede tenders had a single large fill hatch, a vent pipe and handrails along either side. While the bunker which is plastic can be removed from the tender there are no manufacturers out there right now making a drop in bunker, I had several resin ones cast in black I cannot remember who made them that I used in the early 90's to convert a Nakamura Brass 3985 to oil the way it was first converted by the railroad, and to convert a KATO SP Mike to oil burner. One can convert the Athearn locomotive to coal by inserting the awful coal load with the divot in the coal pile into the tender if you can get the part from Athern, but then you have a coal burner with an oil loco number say 3710. Coal locos had 39 numbers oil 37 numbers. When 3985 was converted by the road to oil to prevent brush fires with first an old style bunker taken from sister loco in Cody Park the coal burner number was wisely retained. Now for good news, Athearn includes a spare part with these locomotives which is the wooden walkway that surrounds the water fill hatches on these tenders. As the wood needed replacing that area was simply left in metal. This part is also useful for Big Boys and back dating 4-8-4's. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.
