Is this car correct for the VGN? IIRC the Athearn 2 bay outside braced
car is the best VGN 2 bay car out at this time. Also, Other than the
Bowser and BLI N&W hoppers are there any other cars on the market that
would work for the N&W.

Thanks.

Bill McCoy
Jax, FL

Bill McCoy asked:
"Is this car correct for the VGN?"

Not really. This is the former MDC ribbed triple. I posted the
following on 5/25/2006 (Message 54889) while helping Frank
Bongiovanni update his spreadsheet of recommended VGN hopper models:

"I strongly disagree [that the MDC ribbed triple is a close model of
a VGN triple hopper]. The H-14 has a signature feature of later VGN
hoppers - the carbody deepened between the outer two side stakes.
Unlike the familiar "fishbelly" twins represented by the Stewart HO
model, these cars featured a straight side sill. (Photo from the
pay side of the RPI website.)
<http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/rolling-stock/Hoppers/Triples/HT-
triple-ribbed-11-panel-VGN-Rail-Data.jpg>

These photos are of cars built and delivered after the N&W takeover,
N&W Class H-34 (add 20 to the VGN class for the post-merger N&W
class)
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2355.jpeg
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2356.jpeg
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2354.jpeg

With the Atlas Trainman triple now on the market, I really can't
recommend the MDC triple - the hoppers on all of the MDC triples are
the worst feature of the models as they are so shallow they just
look wrong. Kitbashing is a bit of a challenge - one approach would
be to start with the Atlas triple, remove all of the side stakes
except the outer two, and make an overlay from styrene for the
deeper car side. Add new side stakes from styrene strip. The most
tedious part of this kitbash is adding rivets to the new side
stakes. (If there's a resin manufacturer out there that you can
talk into doing overlays such as the Sunshine AAR alternate standard
offset hopper conversion kits, that would save a lot of time
kitbashing these cars.)"


"IIRC the Athearn 2 bay outside braced car is the best VGN 2 bay car
out at this time."

See Frank's spreadsheet [VGNHoppers(HomEdit).xls] in the group Files
section for more information on the VGN hopper fleet.


"Also, Other than the Bowser and BLI N&W hoppers are there any other
cars on the market that would work for the N&W."

See Bob Chapman's six-part series on modeling an N&W coal train,
first published in the N&WHS Arrow and reprinted in the September
2005 through the January 2006 issues of Mainline Modeler.


Ben Hom

Bill,

Can't comment on the Athearn VGN 3 bay hopper; my guess is it is the old Roundhouse 3 bay; close, but no cigar. Eastern Car Works makes a plastic flat kit that can model the N&W H-2, H-2a or H-3. The Stewart 2 bay, with work, can model some N&W classes. Bob Chapman wrote some excellent articles in The Arrow, the NWHS publication (some of which were reprinted in Mainline Modeler) on modeling N&W 2 bay cars.

Jim Brewer
Glenwood MD

I believe this VGN car is a tool-modified MDC three bay offset hopper.

Based on a B&LE prototype. If that.

I have purged all MDC offset triples from my model railroad. I do
not think there is anything they can do to make it acceptable.





--- In STMFC@..., "Bill McCoy" <wpmccoy@...> wrote:

Is this car correct for the VGN? IIRC the Athearn 2 bay outside

braced

car is the best VGN 2 bay car out at this time. Also, Other than

the

Bowser and BLI N&W hoppers are there any other cars on the market

that

would work for the N&W.

Thanks.

Bill McCoy
Jax, FL

On Oct 16, 2008, at 9:45 AM, jim_mischke wrote:

I believe this VGN car is a tool-modified MDC three bay offset hopper.

Based on a B&LE prototype. If that.

I have purged all MDC offset triples from my model railroad. I do
not think there is anything they can do to make it acceptable.

In fact, not based on any prototype. The MDC model was a generic
design and totally bogus, and Athearn's "improvements" don't change
that.

Richard Hendrickson

True, but I got the idea from the Athearn announcement that the
model being offered is the 3-bay -ribbed- hopper, not the offset, and
that car is quite similar to some prototypes e.g. C&O. I don't know
if it is correct or even close for VGN.

Tim O'Connor

On Oct 16, 2008, at 3:24 PM, timboconnor@... wrote:

True, but I got the idea from the Athearn announcement that the
model being offered is the 3-bay -ribbed- hopper, not the offset, and
that car is quite similar to some prototypes e.g. C&O. I don't know
if it is correct or even close for VGN.

Tim O'Connor

Tim,

It is the MDC ribbed hopper, but it is still, to borrow a phrase, "trying to put lipstick on a pig".

Regards
Bruce

Bruce F. Smith
Auburn, AL
http://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/index.pl/bruce_f._smith2

"Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield."
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|- ______/ O O &#92;_______ -| | __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ |
| / 4999 PENNSYLVANIA 4999 &#92; | ||__||__||__||__||__||__||__||__||
|/_____________________________&#92;|_|________________________________|
| O--O &#92;0 0 0 0/ O--O | 0-0-0 0-0-0

Jim Mischke wrote:
"I believe this VGN car is a tool-modified MDC three bay offset
hopper."

I believe that you are incorrect.
http://www.athearn.com/Newsletter/101408/13_3_bay_hop_6_101408.pdf

The lettering for the Pennsy car in this product annoucement is
particularly heinous.


Ben Hom

--- In STMFC@..., "benjaminfrank_hom" <b.hom@...> wrote:

Jim Mischke wrote:
"I believe this VGN car is a tool-modified MDC three bay offset
hopper."

I believe that you are incorrect.
http://www.athearn.com/Newsletter/101408/13_3_bay_hop_6_101408.pdf

The lettering for the Pennsy car in this product annoucement is
particularly heinous.

The only relation this model bears to any VGN car is that it has three
hopper bays. The VGN had two series of triple hoppers, classes H5 and
H14. The only kit suitable for a VGN triple hopper is the Westerfield
USRA triple, of which the VGN purchased 500, class H5. There is
nothing close to the 3730 members of classes H14/H14A (class H34 on
the N&W post-merger) 70-ton triples, the last VGN hoppers.

Bill McClure
Richmond