Modern Modellers Take Note...

[ljudice]

Athearn is running the brown Herzog Thrall gondolas in 15 numbers in HO [this month's announcement].  Of course they have run these in N as well [former MDC tooling]. They previously ran these in the black/red [actually I believe these were former PSCX cars with Herzog added] which are in tie service.

Herzog of course is a major - if not the largest - contractor for railroad maintenance in the US.

See this video for one in action:

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These cars are part of the high tech Herzog Ballast train - which is seen regularly on NS, CSX, UP, CP and BNSF - and probably elsewhere as well.  

I strongly suggest you drop Athearn a note [contact us on their site] to suggest they run these in N as well.  

This could well be an opportunity for someone to make a resin casting for the ballast doors - if you remember Kelly Cruise did these some years ago.

A side note - why does Athearn not do these in onesy/twosy roadnames for scrap haulers, but hey it would be cool to get a modern ballast train - and it's good for every roadname, which you can't say for the odd ball, mishmash of railroad owned ballast cars out there.

[sirenwerks]

Athearn can do the woodchip car-side extensions on the former MDC hopper car, why shouldn't they add the ballast door addition to the gon as well? A press on sort of deal, as I imagine the woodchip car is, rather than them being a new body style (I haven't seen one in person yet).

[Denver Road Doug]

The ballast doors on the Thrall car require removal of part of two of the ribs under the car.   So "press on" wouldn't really work.

The earlier Herzog release from Athearn was a black and orange car, and probably former LCRX cars although I haven't confirmed that.

The "brown" (maroon?) Herzog cars are not necessarily captive in their unit train service either.  They are seen frequently as one off's in Texas, sometimes in general freights or mixed in with more traditional (Walthers) ballast cars in MOW trains.

[ljudice]

Hey, I'd be willing to make my own doors, but saving the painting and decaling of 15 gons is a big timesaver!!  

Doug, you're right - black and orange - I have a bunch with a tie load I made. 

[Robbman]

You also need to add slope sheets inside the car... as well as some other crap...

[ljudice]

Or a ballast load!    ;D

[Denver Road Doug]

Hey, I'd be willing to make my own doors, but saving the painting and decaling of 15 gons is a big timesaver!!  

I agree.  I have one of these on my workbench now that I modified with the Mocolova part but my paintjob was horrible so I've stripped it again and getting ready for round two.  I have the decals but I would definitely be in for a couple if Athearn did them in N.

I wish someone would release an updated Thrall car, but I don't see it happening.  Once I learn the in-and-outs of resin casting I'm gonna shave all the clunky ladders off of the MDC/Athearn car and just make my FPPX train that way using brass ladders, etc.   So that might be a good time to make a Herzog mod'ed car then too.  But that's a ways away.

[ljudice]

Doug - not sure if you looked at athearn.com, but FPPX is one of the other roadnames they are doing - a greenish car with yellow ends???

[Denver Road Doug]

Doug - not sure if you looked at athearn.com, but FPPX is one of the other roadnames they are doing - a greenish car with yellow ends???

Cool!  I sent them a bunch of photos a few years back so I guess they finally did something with them.