Dear HO Scale Customers; Tangent Scale Models has announced a new run of Bethlehem Steel 3350cf Quad Coal Hoppers as well as two different kinds of coal loads. Check them out!

 

Clinchfield Railroad

 

From 1974 to 1980, the Bethlehem Steel Corporation built 8,715 100-Ton “Eastern Design Quad” coal hoppers of 3350 cubic foot capacity. These quad hoppers were purchased in large build groups by Louisville & Nashville (L&N) and Clinchfield Railroad (CRR) for loading at Appalachian coal mines, and these quad hoppers became the backbones for both railroad’s coal fleets, plus SCWX South Carolina utility fleet cars. These cars served well into the CSXT era in un-rebuilt configurations due to their importance in CSXT’s coal-hauling strategy. These 3350 cubic foot quad coal hoppers are visually similar but not the same as the “Western design” 3600 cubic foot quad hoppers as utilized by Union Pacific, also offered by Tangent. That’s right, we have tooled and are now offering the correct “Eastern design” car as built by Bethlehem Steel!

The Tangent Scale Models Bethlehem Steel 3350cf Quad Coal Hopper features multiple era-specific bodies and assemblies covering the original 1974-1980 BSC build variations. Their model is a dimensionally-accurate replica of the real car, and includes other key build variations such as brake housings, brake equipment, end frames and roping plates. This replica includes our “near-scale” draft gear box including side “key” detail as well as full body interior rivet detail. Their ready-to-operate replica is finished with separate, real wire grab irons, coupler lift bars, rubber air hoses, genuine Kadee scale couplers, accurate CNC-machined wheels, 100-ton Barber S-2 trucks with prototype-specific rotating bearing caps and sufficient hidden weights to ensure the model operates as good as it looks. Finally, their model includes a realistic, removeable coal load of either the “flood” or “tipple” style.

 

Louisville & Nashville

 

Features: 

• Dimensional accuracy – designed from Bethlehem Steel 3350cf Quad Coal Hopper 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

• Multiple Bethlehem 1974, 1976-1978, 1979 and 1980 bodies and assembly builds, with correct bolster post/detail variations, roping plate versions and top chord corner cap options

• Two coal load options: Flood vs. Tipple Style

• “See through” brake step platform

• Road-specific details for each scheme, including 7 brake wheel housing options, 2 ABD Valve options, 2 retainer valve mounting 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!

• Separate flexible rubber air hoses

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

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

• Weighted to NMRA specifications – yes, even with the coal load removed!

 

 

CSX/Seaboard Systems

 

 

Tipple Style Coal Load

 

Flood Style Coal Load

 

 

Available Now!

 

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