Dear MicroTrains, Please Make A Lot of These

[nsbob]

     As ljudice stated, the Atlas car is not nearly as detailed as the MT car.  However it is apparently good enough for a lot of N scalers because they disappear rather quickly at train shows due to the cheaper price.  The two real problems with these are the out of scale stirrips and the exposure of the metal weight when you remove the load.  I have covered the metal weight by using Evergreen 294 angled strips cut at a 45 degree angle on each end, painted, and glued.   I would like to use the stirrips used on the MT hoppers, but I can't find them sold seperately on the MT website.  The only ones they sell are for covered hoppers and they are different on each side.   
     The H49 car you have pictured has been scrapped and replaced with a series HP28R, a hopper of very similar, three bay design.  This series is basically the same series as the H65 and H69 series that MT made two numbers for (the first two hoppers I purchased for my layout).  The H65-H69 have the small NS logo and the HP28R has the newer, larger horsehead logo.  Shellscale and Microscale make decals for the H49-H50 car pictured above.  Shellscale plans to release the H65-H69 decals in the near future.  I am leaning toward using the smaller horesehead logos that are in the Microscale 60-1226 set for a HP28R hopper to see how it looks.   I plan on replacing the stirrips with the correct Gold Metal Models passenger car stirrips that I inquired about on the Hellgate B60b kit thread. That's why I don't mind buying Atlas shells with damaged stirrips.  For additional correct detail, the ends will have to be changed and the brake wheel lowered.
      I would like to see MT make some more numbers in the H65-H69 series they have already produced.  They could just change the numbers and sell these all day since NS has over 2,000 of them in service.
      I feel the Life Like,Industrial, Con Cor 3 bay hoppers are a better conversion.  Although the stirrps are correct, they are thick.  I can live with that for now.  The only problems I corrected on a couple of these so far are to remove and lower the frame and remove and paint the weights under the ends.  Once that was done, they are acceptable for me. 
      I can hopefully start a thread to provide some pictures of my work when I have time in a couple of months.

[bnsfdash8]

I just painted 30 or so of these on Atlas 90Ts using Shellscale decals so MT will probably produce them. 

[ljudice]

nsbob,  I agree,  and H65's would be great too,  just figured it's an easier sell for MTL to do the earlier car....

[ljudice]

h65/69 decals are out now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Norfolk-Southern-H65-H69-Hopper-Car-Decals-N-Scale-/121290795391?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c3d7ea97f

[bman]

I know that the Atlas car has it's faults.  But it's availability and price sure do make it easy to build longer coal trains.  My home layout will handle about a 20-25 car coal train so combining a 10 pack of CR ones if Microtrains ran a set would look great mixed in with my Blueford Shops cars(and replace Atlas ones I've acquired or painted for CR).  Maybe even a 5 or 8 car set for predecessor railroads too.  For shows or at the club layout, I have resorted to Atlas cars for 2 reasons.  It's cheaper in price vs the nicer offerings out there and they can be found everywhere.  So if I just so happen to damage one or 2, it's not too hard to take if it's not repairable.  Since they have to be lugged around, and handled more often this works for me.  And I've lots of the Atlas ones been collecting them cheap at shows over many, many years.  I'd spend more time and effort than it's worth to replace those stirrup steps.  Be cheaper in the long run to purchase a 10 pack most likely.

[nsbob]

Cool!  They must have recently become available.  I'm definitely going to have to get a few sets since I have about 10 cars to convert for now.  It's nice the extra numbers and small NS logos are included for upgrading additional cars.

[Denver Road Doug]

The recent C&O 8-pack came in at a very un-Micro-Trains-esque $15/car street price, so the precent is there for a "unit train priced" version of this car. When compared to the Trainman version it's still about a 50% premium, but then again it's probably at least a 50% better car. (not taking into account prototype inaccuracies...just generally the thinner end structure, interior, etc.)

Now, when you start doing a scheme that requires a second decoration pass like the BN full-panel rotary scheme, then the price goes up a lot.  (I think they were in the $23 range street and that was maybe 10 years ago)  But I think for sure that NS scheme might be a winner.

Sure would like to see some more BN rotaries though, at some point.  Atlas insists they don't sell which I can't quite figure out since you can't find ANY, anywhere.  (or the MTL rotaries for that matter)   And yes, I am putting my money where my mouth is.   I'm just not sure I want to do a run with Atlas, and MTL won't return my calls.   

[LIRR]

In the words of Alan McClelland, the Atlas cars are good enough. And they're half the cost. I have about 50 of the Atlas cars and they look just fine.

[ljudice]

bman,

*Generally* speaking NS coal trains are made up of scads of TopGons with a few various classes of Coalporter-ish cars, plus a few bottom dumping cars mixed in here or there. So not really looking for a train of these, just a bunch to fill in or used for some less than unit train shipments.

[ljudice]

In the words of Alan McClelland, the Atlas cars are good enough. And they're half the cost. I have about 50 of the Atlas cars and they look just fine.

They certainly are - until you put them to work with BLMA Topgons and other models... 

[Robbman]

 
     The H49 car you have pictured has been scrapped and replaced with a series HP28R, a hopper of very similar, three bay design.

The H49s (and H50s) weren't scrapped, they were rebodied into hybrid Bethgons, class G117R (and G118R).

The HP28R, HP29R and H30Rs are stainless steel hopper rebodies of former Conrail H2a, b and c classes (which were always NS class HP28, 29 and 30, just never remarked from their original CR class)

[ai5629]

I would like to see MTL do some Conrail H43's myself (please consult Byran at ESM for proper reporting marks).  I have decalled almost 50 Atlas cars and 20 Life Like cars.  Then MTL came out with their car.  I ignored it for a good while.  When I finally starting looking at the MTL car, and how bad the Atlas car looked by comparison, and  what would be involved in upgrading it with stirrups and body mounts, I started buying Conrail MTL 2 packs for renumbering on the Bay.  I have renumbered 14 MTL cars, and I airbrushed 12 more for full decal jobs of which I have completed 8 so far this winter.  The MTL cars can be body mounted with 1015's and a shim.  I add BLMA 100 ton trucks with 0.020 washers at the B end and 0.015 at the A end.  You must do this, or the car sits uneven.  This lowers the ride height, but the truck centers are slightly off (inward).  The wheel flanges will rub the slope sheets on some bends.  You have to decide which is more important, ride height or truck centers.  I chose ride height, and I blame the RW for that.  Thanks.

Jeff

[ljudice]

I just painted 30 or so of these on Atlas 90Ts using Shellscale decals so MT will probably produce them. 

Reese, you need to build more Dash 9-40W's to force Kato into finally doing a correct model!!!   

[bnsfdash8]

Reese, you need to build more Dash 9-40W's to force Kato into finally doing a correct model!!!   

I have been wanting to do another, 3 is simply not enough.

[nsbob]

My term "scrapped" may have been inappropriate but the point I was trying to make is H49-H50 hoppers are basically no longer being used in NS unit coal trains for those who are modeling present day NS.  I guess I should have been more specific and stated the numbers assigned to most of the H49-H50 hoppers were reassigned to the HP28R cars.  I'm sure Ed's Law will prevail in the next few days and I will spot a H49-H50 on the NS ROW.