Matt - I believe the Frisco had 25 of these cars, SLSF 81000-81024. The car diagram is attached. This was a special version of the early, cylindrical body, ACF Center Flow covered hopper design. The body was constructed of aluminum, and it had three compartments, but six center-line bottom outlets. There were five round ACF loading hatches on the top. ASF A-3 "Ride Control" 100-ton Timken roller bearing trucks, WABCO brakes. The last car in the series, SLSF 81024, had special pneumatic outlets for pressure differential unloading. Atlas made a nice model of this car, two releases. Ken
Do you have any idea of when Frisco disposed of these cars. I have some of the Atlas SLSF models, and want to patch them for my own road, and am trying to figure out a time line so I can figure out how to most realistically patch them.
The last record I have is July, 1979. As of then, 24 of the 25 cars were still in service. SLSF 81000 was gone - I don't know why or when. All 25 cars were in service as of 1971. They were built in 1962. Ken
These cars may very well have made it to the BN as there were cars that looked just like them in flour service at the Bama Pie bakery north of Tulsa that made the biscuits for McDonald's. Someone once told me they made a million a week! No wonder I can't lose weight!
Since we are talking about Frisco's aluminum ACF cylindrical "Center Flow" covered hoppers ..... FYI, in case anyone might be interested in these cars, I have the HO ACF steel version of this car listed on eBay. It's also an Atlas model, Atlas #1935-02, done as PRR 260018, gray with black lettering. Included as no-cost bonus features are Kadee 36" wheel sets, Kadee couplers, and Cal-Scale brake line hoses. This is a 3-bay LO with six ACF hatches on the top, and three centered discharge outlets. The PRR set-up was different than the Frisco cars (SLSF used five top hatches and six discharge outlets). Price is $9.99 plus shipping. Pretty good deal. Like many PRR cars, these saw Frisco rails often. See eBay #200504234697 Ken
Intermountain is entering the Z scale market with a model of this car. See my Z scale freight car post. For a train on an N scale layout "way over yonder" Z scale is perfect even if it is a stationary non-operating model. John Allen had one on his expanded first Gorre & Daphetid layout. A photo is in the book "Model Railroading with John Allen". Joe Toth
