Atlas Trinity 5161 Covered Hoppers - Latest Run set to arrive soon!

Cargil car looks good. I recently got my long awaited latest run SP GP60...nice to see Atlas finally getting some more product out!

CN_Hogger

Mike,

Thanks for the update. These will be hot sellers, especially the BNSF and the KCS. Back in late 2004 I saw a PRB brass version of the Trinity 5161 in the BNSF circle logo scheme that was very nice. I prefer the BNSF circle logo over the swoosh even though I like them both. The prototype is a very appealing design. PRB version pic late 2004.

A few more in this latest release

I think, maybe, the finest 3-rail freight car on the market.

I am looking forward to mine.

I agree. I think the Atlas Trinity 5161 3 Bay Covered Hopper is the finest detailed car on the market for the money.

Yeah....  I have a set of 4 NS cars on order, plus 3 of the Cargill cars.  I may also get a BNSF car even though I have a few of the PRB cars from way back when....   Very nice cars, especially when you paint the trucks, and weather the cars up.   Can't wait to get 'em!!

The Atlas BNSF car will mix in nicely with the PRB cars should you decide to get a few Atlas productions in BNSF.

Wow those do look nice...too bad they are not in the era I am modeling.....grrrrrrr.

I'm ready to build KCS Grain Trains...............

Regards,

Swafford

these are awesome I hope I can somehow pick up just one NS one for my birthday

One thing I noted about the Cargill cars is, they kind of look white, rather than light gray like the prototype, but this may be just a bad color rendition of the model photos......I hope!  Any coments regarding this?

Swafford nice video....looks like the KCS does it in style.

The Trinity RailCar 5,791 Cu. Ft. Capacity 4-Bay Covered Hopper is what Minnesota Soy Processors operates. Why not have Lionel, or MTH, or Weaver Models offer a Trinity 5,791 4-bay covered hopper with all the schemes and road numbers unique to those cars?

Walthers already produces the Trinity 5,791 4-bay covered hopper in HO Scale, so it just seems like desperation on the part of Athearn to put those schemes on their HO scale Trinity 5,161 3-bay covered hopper.

Andrew

The real KCS 3-bay Covered hoppers with the Southern Belle are an American Railcar Industries Through-Sill Covered Hopper, but since nobody has the production line that can turn out that many variations yet, this will have to suffice. 

Should a group of investors try to produce the O Scale model of the ARI Through Sill Covered Hoppers at some factory in the world?

Andrew

Some of the KCS cars in the Southern Belle scheme are made by Greenbrier.  The Greenbrier cars are very similar to the Trinity cars, more so than the ARI cars.  All three cars are similar, with the obvious difference being the rib at the transition from car side to roof.

Not that I want to do much bashing on a $75 car, but I wonder how convincing it would be to add a piece of strip styrene to the Atlas car to simulate the double rib at the transition on the Greenbrier cars.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...ture.aspx?id=1419829

http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...ture.aspx?id=1493591

The number series for Minnesota Soy Producers hoppers that Athearn is selling are correct for their 3-bay trinity cars.  However, the SOYX 3-bay Trinity hoppers are 5461 cu. ft. cars, so the Athearn car is still not 100% accurate.  But not quite as egregious as passing the 5161 cu. ft. car off as a 4-bay version.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.n...cture.aspx?id=485824

http://www.athearn.com/Product...aspx?ProdID=ATH89258

Jim

Mike, at $75 a car are you weathering? I alredy have 8 UPs and still thinking about another $300 into it. But personally 8 sould be enough. Ole TV title. Question about thebest. I do like the Alum. Lionel hoppers.

Phil, Yes, I to like the Lionel ACF 4 bay covered hoppers.  Their aluminum ACF 3-Bay's are nice too, just a little too short!  I will be weathering them because that is how you see them today, weathered and tagged.

Good man Mike.

Brian Huang, one of our group members, has already done a nice job weathering and tagging his trinity hoppers.  Perhaps he can post a few shots of those!

Also, even just spraying a dull coat finish on them helps reduce the plastic sheen

I received my invoice from AM Hobbies and should have the KCS cars in the next day or so.   Thanks Jeff (and Bob!)

I received my KCS cars from Jeff, thanks Jeff!!!

You can find more photos at https://skydrive.live.com/redi...D5F0BBC300F3D13!1984 

Atlas/Jeff please run more numbers! Another 8 or 16 would be great!

Yep, UPS delivered my 4 car Norfolk Southern and 8 car KCS sets today.  They look great and could not be more pleased.

Hi Mike,

Are the hatches white or metal color?

Regards, 

Frank

Man that KCS hopper is nice.

I'm not crazy about the white hatches. I think I will replace the white with the metal roof hatches. My hoppers are on the UPS truck now.

Regards,

Swafford 

Frank, Sounds like if we put our KCS cars together we would have a nice unit train. 

Hi Mike, 

Are you put Kadee's on your hoppers? 

Regards, 

Frank

Eventually I wil replace them with Kadee's.  Likely 745's as I have gone through all my packs of 805's now.  Usually I replace any broken coupler with a Kadee.  Of course the older Atlas couplers break all the time.  The newer ones I've had better luck with, just that the knuckle doesn't always open.  I haven't taken one apart yet to see if the operation can be improved? Could be they just need some lubrication, could be some material in the way for proper operation...

Good Day, 

Does anyone have a picture of the roof hatches on the KCS hoppers in real life? To me,  the hatches in gray or a metal color to match the roof walks would look best. I think I'm going to paint the white hatches. It just does not look right.

Regards,

Frank