New Athearn Reefers With Sound

[Denver Road Doug]

Out of Trainfest, one of the more interesting announcements, IMHO, is the new Athearn reefers.

Rather than keep hijacking that thread, I figured it was worthy of its own.  Especially considering it is somewhat of a milestone in N...a sound equipped freight car!   Yes, actually I think they've been marketed before, but as a solution for *locomotive sound*, not necessarily as a stand-alone freight car.   Maybe there's been others...I seem to recall a sound equipped stock car in HO and maybe that somehow got translated to N, but I digress.  Regardless, that's really not the point...I just think it is an interesting topic for discussion...both from the sound perspective and that of a new freight car that is (supposedly) a high end, detailed, proto-ish-specific car.

Here are the road names/numbers from Athearn's site.
ARMN (UP) #992989 [ATH24885] w/Sound [ATH24785]
ARMN (UP) #922015 [ATH24884] w/Sound [ATH24784]
ARMN (UP) #922047 [ATH24883] w/Sound [ATH24783]
ARMN (UP) #922040 [ATH24882] w/Sound [ATH24782]
http://freight.railfan.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=armn922040&o=up 7/3/2005
ARMN (UP) #912998 [ATH24881] w/Sound [ATH24781]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=171812 Saginaw TX
ARMN (UP) #912057 [ATH24880] w/Sound [ATH24780]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=166170 7/13/2005 Red Door
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=877851 9/11/2007 Red Door/Graffiti
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=997861 12/27/2007 Other Side, White Door/Graffiti
HO Model: http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG63218

BNSF #799798   [ATH24879] w/Sound [ATH24779]
BNSF #799793   [ATH24878] w/Sound [ATH24778]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2418316
BNSF #799790   [ATH24877] w/Sound [ATH24777]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1417849
BNSF #799786   [ATH24876] w/Sound [ATH24776]
BNSF #799772   [ATH24875] w/Sound [ATH24775]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=689358
BNSF #799767   [ATH24874] w/Sound [ATH24774]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=500717
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=822846
HO Model: http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG63213

BNFE (BN) #12547 [ATH24873] w/Sound [ATH24773]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=104328 3/19/2005
BNFE (BN) #12445 [ATH24872] w/Sound [ATH24772]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=428228 6/25/2006
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=504080 9/10/2006
BNFE (BN) #11910 [ATH24871] w/Sound [ATH24771]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=322893
BNFE (BN) #11702 [ATH24870] w/Sound [ATH24770]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=162287 7/12/2005
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=403614 5/27/2006 Roof Shot
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=991128 12/8/2007
HO Model: http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG63204

FGMR (FGE/Solid Cold) #12918 [ATH24869] w/Sound [ATH24769]
FGMR (FGE/Solid Cold) #12873 [ATH24868] w/Sound [ATH24768]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1243053 4/13/1992
FGMR (FGE/Solid Cold) #12904 [ATH24867] w/Sound [ATH24767]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2618281 3/17/1984
FGMR (FGE/Solid Cold) #12824 [ATH24866] w/Sound [ATH24766]
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2673418 3/1/1984
HO Model: http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG63203

FGCX (FGE) #12269 [ATH24865] w/Sound [ATH24765]
FGCX (FGE) #12145 [ATH24864] w/Sound [ATH24764]
FGCX (FGE) #12028 [ATH24863] w/Sound [ATH24763]
FGCX (FGE) #11984 [ATH24862] w/Sound [ATH24762]
HO Model: http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATHG63197
Same series??? http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2990715
Same series??? http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2990717

[ArtinCA]

Retail shows $30 for regular and $60 for a car that goes "bbdddddrrrrrrr".

I remember along time ago, someone made a DC powered sound unit for the MDC cars. I had somewhere around 30+ of them (modeling the SP in the San Joaquin) and thought about equipping the fleet. The noise alone would have driven my wife criminally insane.

[nkalanaga]

I have one of those cars, in an Atlas shell, with an MDC boxcar frame.  If I remember right they were from Aztec, and apparently were found in several different shell/frame combinations.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I'm getting the whole "Chiller" run plus a few BN cars as well. These were very prominent on the Boston Line and I am glad I no longer need rib-sided foobs. I may pick up one or two equipped with sound. just to see how they buzz.

[wcfn100]

Curious to see how they roll.

Jason

[nkalanaga]

The old ones were battery powered, so rolling quality wasn't affected.  If these are track powered I'll also be curious.  It may also be another source for pickup-equipped trucks.

[tom mann]

Can anyone explain why some models have the roof cut open above the a/c unit and some don't?  I assume that at some point, the car was modified for better heat dissipation.

[Denver Road Doug]

Can anyone explain why some models have the roof cut open above the a/c unit and some don't?  I assume that at some point, the car was modified for better heat dissipation.

Satellite.

The cars with the hole in top were modern conversions (early 2000's) whereby the newer "Carrier-style" refrigeration units were installed.   UP did this on a large scale.  BNSF did some but opted for Trincool cars and then UP followed suit soon thereafter.   The new units have GPS installed and I am nearly 100% sure the reason for the hole is satellite access to the internal receiver, versus having to install/maintain an external component on top of the car.

[jagged ben]

Satellite.

The cars with the hole in top were modern conversions (early 2000's) whereby the newer "Carrier-style" refrigeration units were installed.   UP did this on a large scale.  BNSF did some but opted for Trincool cars and then UP followed suit soon thereafter.   The new units have GPS installed and I am nearly 100% sure the reason for the hole is satellite access to the internal receiver, versus having to install/maintain an external component on top of the car.

I had assumed that since the Carrier style units are built to withstand the elements that it was simpler and easier to cut the hole and have the units vent directly to the exterior of the car, rather than install an internal duct of some sort.   But we could both be right.

[Denver Road Doug]

I had assumed that since the Carrier style units are built to withstand the elements that it was simpler and easier to cut the hole and have the units vent directly to the exterior of the car, rather than install an internal duct of some sort.   But we could both be right.

Yes, I definitely think ventilation is absolutely a benefit to the setup as well, and may have indeed been the driver for it.

[Scottl]

A satellite transmitter is small and could be mounted to the roof.  That would be optimal.

[Denver Road Doug]

A satellite transmitter is small and could be mounted to the roof.  That would be optimal.

Yet, another few points of failure versus simply cutting a hole in the roof.  (Cabling, connections, potential damage, etc.)

[tom mann]

With sound like this, who wouldn't want to spend all their money to get one  :

I have an unfinished project that @GaryHinshaw started.  He did a great job "opening up" an Athearn car.

[Kisatchie]

With sound like this, who wouldn't want to spend all their money to get one  :

I'm not impressed.


Hmm... sounds like my
termite-mashing
appliance...

[Frisco Larry]

I have an Aztec car I got when issued in 8/1992.  Mine came with a Swift Atlas shell but traded the shell for a BREX shell. It sounded fairly well, but soon got to be rather obnoxious and began to sound like a car load of crickets.  Like the real thing, sounds interesting for a few second as it goes by at a grade crossing, but you don't want to listen to it for hours on end.  And not many have a layout big enough that you can't hear it no matter where it is.