@72blackbird posted:Hi Anthony,
I was aware that the LHSs were not true scale- I chose them over the MTH HSs because of their diecast construction and detail. But things do change- the intermodal industry has abandoned 48' containers in favor of 53s, and it has been over a decade since 48s have been in widespread use to move goods and freight. I'm sure Gunderson has used many 48' well cars and reworked then into 5-unit 40' articulated well cars too, because the 48' husky stacks were once an industry standard and plentiful. It's cheaper and more cost effective to modify and rebuild new 5-unit articulated 40' well cars from retired 48' well cars, than to cut them up, melt the metal, pour and form it into new sheets, and then build new 40' well cars from scratch. It's also easier from a fabrication standpoint to stretch a 48' well car into a 53' well car too- I see plenty of 53' stand alone Husky stacks in use today.
I still have 3 LHS TTX 48' well cars- I may attempt to cut them up, and turn them into an articulated 40' well car. I build musclecars as a hobby, so cutting, welding and shaping metal is something I have done many times. But alot of our fellow O gauge hobbyists still like the 48' husky stack, extinct or not- I've had little issue selling off the 48' LHSs, and if you wanted, you could do the same as well. Atlas will also do another run of 53' Maxi- IV well cars also, and hopefully Lionel or MTH would take the chance and produce a Thrall or Gunderson 5- unit articulated 40' well car- they would sell well.
Geno
Geno,
Yep, I'm one of those crazies who like the look of the 48's. I'm starting to wonder if Atlas is going to do another run of the 53's. My patience has all but gone. Interestingly enough, I have not seen a stand alone 53' well car. I'll have to take a look on the web and see what I can find. That sounds like a good idea, cutting up the LHS for 40' well cars. I have 5 TTX's (new logo) and all 11 of the CSX's (plus 4 used) and 4 of the BNSF's.
As far as the major manufacturers releasing a 5-unit articulated 40' well car set, I wouldn't hold my breathe. At this point, they are more apt to use existing molds instead of trying to make new ones. At some point though, modelers will get tired of the same old, same old and will demand new items. Until that demand reaches fever pitch, I doubt we'll see anything new.
Anthony
