Picked this up at the Cornfield Free-Mo meet, and just took it apart yesterday. This is an Intermountain 60’ flat. I’ve been looking for one of these for a while, and while the model is a little light, it’s still a nice model. The laser-cut wood deck is nice, especially compared to the Athearn 60’ flat of similar design. These used to be offered in kit form, but this is an RTR model. It might as well be a kit because I completely took it apart and basically rebuilt it. The QC was a little shoddy and the fit was not the best, especially around the center sill on the bottom of the car. This is older tooling, and you can tell that the molds are getting a little tired. I had to do a lot of cleanup to get the parts to fit back together correctly. I also planed the deck panels so they wouldn’t be so thick. Now the tie-downs are at about the same height as the deck planks. Now it just needs a piece of construction or farm machinery as a load. I’m thinking a crane or some tractors.
I may be mistaken, but I believe farm equipment is moved on OTTX flatcars and construction equipment is moved on HTTX flatcars.
That's curious. I wonder why. In some cases, there isn't much difference. Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk
I think you are right on that. I found some more information online that says basically the same thing. I have also seen HTTX cars in military train service. Of course, the 6-axle DODX cars are reserved for the heaviest loads, like M1A1 Abrams, but the heavier-duty nature of HTTX cars means they can be used to carry slightly lighter vehicles like the armored D9 bulldozers and sometimes Bradley vehicles. I have a few Roco Mintanks vehicles, so maybe that's another thing I could do with this car; build out a military train.
Without looking at anything, I'd guess one class would be 70-ton cars and the other would be 100-ton cars. I don't know how reliable the data on Walthers OTTX and HTTX cars would be, so I'm not sure you could trust that, but if you looked at prototype photos that showed the LD LMT and LT WT it would be clear which ones had 70-ton or 100-ton capacity.
Now that I think about it, I see the HTTX cars used as idlers frequently with oversize loads, such as beams or pipe that protrudes over the ends of the car the load is on or when bridge weight is a factor and a heavy flatcar or depressed center flatcar must be isolated from the other cars it's coupled to. I caught this one after work one day: The cars on either side of the KRL car are HTTX flats.
Thinking about military flatcars, I found this reference PDF that explains all the car types used by the DOD. At the bottom is OTTX/HTTX. It seems like they have similar nominal capacities, but the difference is in the tiedown equipment.
Finished up the Intermountain 1958CF Covered Hopper Kit, pictures of the completed underframe with brake rigging etc., also the roof shot with the roofwalk, hatches, grabs and locking hardware for the loading doors. Rick Jesionowski
bored ... went back to the dcc coupler project ...to see if i could make it better ... couldn't really, so gave up ..
after i gave up on the dcc coupler, i went and made some more flatcars... the main frame on the is cnc machined and the wooden deck added later .. there is no brake rigging as the prototype [for an 1890's mining layout] didn't have any .. lead shot [no 7 1/2] was added for weight, scale is HO
Did some work on an old Atlas-Kato C424, removed the cast on grabs and replaced with some from a Bowser RS32 detail kit, also installed most the lift rings on the roof, still need to finish some. Rick Jesionowski
Athearn 40' Baby Hy-Cube, removed the cast on grabs and replaced with wire grabs, also installed a Cal-Scale Hydracushion kit on the underframe and made up the brake rodding with brass wire. Rick Jesionowski
I started on a Bowser 2 bay hopper kit for Dewey Portland Cement. Dewey was based out of the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. On my layout, this car will arrive empty to LK Valley Stone at Grantsville and return to OK with manufactured limestone sand. I added Kadee scale couplers and extra weight. Final coupler height adjusted with fiber washers to meet the standard height gauge. I’ll add the roof in the morning and this car will be ready for the layout. Weathering will come later, too much else to do Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was inspired by this undated photo to update my Intermountain PFE R-70-20 reefer from PFE to SPFE. I found a 1978 photo of the actual number and it appears to have the slightly larger "SPF" compared to the existing "E" in the initial, but it does not have the white "Perishable Freight Experts" box over the Union Pacific shield (yet?). This 1989 photo is right in my era and it has the white box so I decided to go with it. Where I messed up is I didn't remove the UP shield before placing the decal over it. Either the shield is too large or the white box is too small because it doesn't cover the shield entirely. I didn't figure that out until the decal was wet on the model. The decal set only comes with one pair of this style white box so at that point it was too late. I might need to do this part over.
Started work on another Anderson's covered hopper using the Tichy USRA Hopper kit with Panel sides as the starting paint. Will install the end and then add all the grab irons next. I am kitbashing a Plastic's Plant and Plastic Pellet Unloading facility to go on the club layout in our new industrial area. Pellet Facility was from Walthers and I used Rix building sections to build the plant, need to finish the roofs and roof detail and it should be done.
Two cars I’ve been working on this week: KY&N 22596 is an Accurail 50’ Plug Door boxcar. Car is stock as a “data only” car I got the right price. This car is part of the 22500-22679 series “loose” car in general service. The car was completed Wednesday night and overweighted “1 ounce per inch”. KY&N 19677 is an Athearn 40’ Pulpwood flatcar from the 19500-19699 series in dedicated service from contract suppliers to the Ohio Valley Paper Co mill at East Liverpool, OH (off layout). This car will need some weight added beneath at a later date. Eventually these cars will get weathered, but that gets these cars off the workbench and onto the layout. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have been modifying and painting up some Walthers UP cars to represent some private varnish for a friend. He and his wife have ridden aboard these cars a few time and he wants them for the memories.
This is the underframe from an IMRC 57' R70-20 Mechanical Reefer, all the detail has been installed and it is ready for the paint shop. Rick Jesionowski
