Dear HO Scale Customers;

Tangent Scale Models has announced the Penn Central Samuel Rea Shops 4600 Covered Hopper System

Penn Central (PC) H51 “Delivery Gray 9-1968” is one of those schemes that just defines a car type. The first 261 “4600” cars built by PC Sam Rea were H51 class in late 1968. Painted light gray with black bays, the cars feature a small PC logo between the ribs on the right side of the car. Those black bays look sharp and show off the white PC reporting marks on the centersill, a feature carefully duplicated on this model. Check out that Peacock 6500 brake housing and beautiful modern brake wheel. The prototype’s truck-mounted brake gear translates to little things on the model like a “missing” brake cylinder on the B-End. The 4 individual brake cylinders are actually mounted on the truck brake beams, duplicated on Tangent Scale Models 100-ton Barber S-2 trucks! The bays are equipped with Wine outlet gates with their distinctive gear housing mechanism on the one side. Penn Central lettering is something that Tangent Scale Models take great pride in here at Tangent. This is industry-leading Tangent artwork and graphics: carefully duplicated based on real photos, not generic diagrams. These Penn Central beauties are ready to operate on your layout.

CSX (NYC) H51C “Ex-CR Quality Patch 1998+” gives us another peek into the later era for some of the H51C class. After the Conrail breakup was approved in 1998, NYC reporting marks were utilized by CSX for their portion of the CR car fleet. This scheme illustrates CSX’s patching of their ex-CR H51Cs with “NYC” reporting marks from 1998 forward. This car has later-era gravity gates, along with body-mounted brake hardware with center-tube linkage. The B-end has as an Ajax hand brake, modern brake wheel, and a “replacement” Morton crossover walkway. The model is equipped with Tangent Scale Models industry-leading 100-ton Barber S-2 truck with proper body-style brake beam and rotating Timken caps! “Modern” modelers need some Tangent love, too. Examples of NYC-patched H51Cs lasted on the CSX into at least 2017!

Conrail (CR) H51C “Quality Gray Repaint 1992” replicates the 1990s-2000s look for the 400-car H51C class. Conrail repainted many cars in their “Conrail Quality” scheme, and Tangent Scale Models think the SRS 4600s look particularly sharp! This CR car has later-era gravity gates, replacements for the original Youngstown gates. The car body is equipped with body-mounted brake hardware with center-tube linkage. Sam Rea built the car with a ribbed roof hatch, a “low” brake housing and a side-mounted train air line the length of the car, all features that are present on this Tangent replica. The B-end has as accurate Ajax hand brake, modern brake wheel, and a “replacement” Morton crossover walkway. Check out those gorgeous 100-ton Barber S-2 trucks with proper body-style brake beam and rotating Timken caps! This Conrail Quality H51C is painted in light gray with black graphics for the 1992+ era. Look in the upper right corner, and you will notice the ex-PC car number! RTR Conrail Quality and ready to work on your railroad.

During the 1960s, railcar builders experimented with new covered hopper designs to satisfy the evolving needs of shippers as they moved away from forty-foot box cars to bulk transport railcars.

Inspired by the success of the General American Transportation Corporation (GATC) 4500/4700 cubic foot covered hopper designs, the PC Samuel Rea Shops (SRS) designed and built clones of 4600 cubic foot capacity between 1968 and 1969. While these cars were externally very similar to GATC designs, SRS designed their 4600 with a slightly taller carbody and a longer car length. Penn Central outfitted the fleet with a variety of appliance options so the cars could be utilized in multiple services. PC’s own marketing department promoted the cars as “connecting the great grain producing regions to leading eastern ports and markets.” PC classed them in four total subclasses: H51, H51A, H51B, and H51C, for a total of 761 copies. Additionally, 100 cars were built for Lehigh Valley, majority-owned by PC. After serving into the Conrail and post-CR eras, some were sold to lessors.

The Tangent Scale Models SRS 4600 covered hopper is a dimensionally-accurate replica of the real car, designed from actual blueprints and field measurements. Tangent Scale Models want to be very clear: This is an all-new car. The SRS 4600 is one foot longer striker-to-striker than the similar GATC 4500. The carbody is also 3 inches taller, giving the SRS 4600 a different look as its sill rests slightly lower to the rail than a comparable GATC 4500. Tangent Scale Models SRS 4600 includes key H51, H51B and H51C build variations: discharge gates, handbrake appliance options, and body or truck mounted brakes. This replica includes Tangent Scale Models “near-scale” draft gear box including side “key” detail. This SRS hopper rides on Tangent’s precision 100-ton Barber S-2 trucks with prototype-specific rotating bearing caps and separate brake beam part. Tangent Scale Models ready-to-operate replica is finished with real metal grab irons, coupler lift bars accompanying Kadee scale couplers, sufficient hidden weights, and CNC-machined wheels to ensure the model operates as good as it looks.

The Tangent Scale Models PC Sam Rea Shops 4600 covered hopper is a state of the art, dimensionally-accurate scale replica with highly accurate “true-to-life” colors and precise letter stencils. Tangent Scale Models PC SRS 4600 offers detail variations and phases to replicate the different SRS 4600 build offerings. Example variations include: body-mount or truck-mount brake systems, multiple prototype outlet gates and B-end power brake options. This replica includes Tangent Scale Models fine “near-scale” draft gear box with beautifully-rendered side “key” detail. Tangent Scale Models ready-to-operate replica is finished scale metal grab irons, coupler lift bars, accompanying Kadee scale couplers and sufficient hidden weights to ensure the model operates as good as it looks. At more than 150 parts per car, not to mention phase accurate details, genuine Kadee couplers, and all-metal wheels, Tangent Scale Models provide you with a high-value model that will provide you with years of enjoyment and curb-appeal.

These products are shipping today! A quick synopsis of Tangent Scale Models PC SRS 4600 era and railroad-specific details and variations include:

• Dimensional accuracy – designed from General American plans and verified with field measurements

• Highly correct “true to life” colors

• Industry-leading “Hyper-Accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement

• Genuine Kadee scale couplers

• “Near-scale” draft gear box with beautifully-rendered side “key” detail

• Multiple road numbers for each scheme

• Signature PC SRS “smooth” welded roof with both upper and lower flange roof edge fastener detail

• Ribbed roof hatch

• “See through” Apex running board and Apex/Morton crossover platforms

• Road-specific details for each scheme, including 2 different brake systems, 4 different outlet gates, 2 different crossover platform options, 5 brakewheel housing and clevis options and 2 different routing board options.

• Beautiful details including separately-applied scale wire grab irons and coupler lift bars – no “molded on” plastic grab irons or “thick” plastic grab iron parts anywhere on this replica!

• Metal corner stirrup steps

• Separate flexible rubber air hoses

• CNC-machined 36” wheels with front and back detail and accurate tapered axles

• Tangent Scale Models precision 100-ton Barber S-2 trucks with prototype-specific rotating bearing caps (four possible options!) and separate brake beam part (2 possible options!)

• Recommended age 14 years and older

Order Due Date: Available Now

Anticipated Delivery Date: May 2023

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