Kenneth L. Anthony
December 6th, 2005, 03:30 AM
I posted this picture on another topic for the benefit of a modeler of another railroad interested in freight cars. Thought it might be of interest to GN modelers...
Here are prototype photos of a preserved former Great Northern Hart convertible ballast hopper #78105 as photographed at Midland Rwy, (museum) Baldwin City Kansas in 1994.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/agr.jpg
Some details of the hopper doors.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/ags.jpg
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/agt.jpg
This is NOT the Walthers N scale ballast hopper which has ribbed sides, and hoppers which look to be only about 5 or 6 feet long, located just inboard of the trucks. The GN prototype is offset side, and has two sets of hoppers which run most of the length between the trucks, except for a short break in the middle of the car length. I kitbashed a model of an almost identical Santa Fe car using a Model Power 4-bay offset side car and scratchbuilding the longitudinal hoppers. A Bachmann 4-bay offset side hopper could also be used. If these are not available, the next closest N-scale hopper model would be the Roundhouse/MDC (picked up by Athearn?) 3-bay offset hopper.
An article on doing a similar kitbash in HO was published in Model Railroader Nov84 p.89. I used that article for my own N-scale kitbash.
Here are prototype photos of a preserved former Great Northern Hart convertible ballast hopper #78105 as photographed at Midland Rwy, (museum) Baldwin City Kansas in 1994.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/agr.jpg
Some details of the hopper doors.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/ags.jpg
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/agt.jpg
This is NOT the Walthers N scale ballast hopper which has ribbed sides, and hoppers which look to be only about 5 or 6 feet long, located just inboard of the trucks. The GN prototype is offset side, and has two sets of hoppers which run most of the length between the trucks, except for a short break in the middle of the car length. I kitbashed a model of an almost identical Santa Fe car using a Model Power 4-bay offset side car and scratchbuilding the longitudinal hoppers. A Bachmann 4-bay offset side hopper could also be used. If these are not available, the next closest N-scale hopper model would be the Roundhouse/MDC (picked up by Athearn?) 3-bay offset hopper.
An article on doing a similar kitbash in HO was published in Model Railroader Nov84 p.89. I used that article for my own N-scale kitbash.