This is an update and clarification to a post made by Ethan Lawrence back on 12/12/11 where he announced to the group that Intermountain was producing another run of these cars but mistakenly said they were Thrall cars. Anyway, Intermountain is producing another 6 road #'s of this car bringing the total to 24 road #'s, 12 kits/12 RTR in HO and 6 RTR N-scale. Below is the pertinent information for this release. HO N Stk. # Road# Stk. # 45322-19 79817 65322-07 45322-20 79840 65322-08 45322-21 79893 65322-09 45322-22 79904 65322-10 45322-23 79928 65322-11 45322-24 79951 65322-12 The suggested MSRP for this run is $32.95(HO) and $22.95(N). The pre-order cut-off date is next Monday 01/30/12. Several discounters offer a deeper discount for orders placed by this date and if Intermountain doesn't get enough they most likely will not produce the car. Now, for historical purposes I would like to identify the road#'s and stock#'s already produced so I need some help filling in the blanks. Here they are for the first RTR batch. HO N Stk. # Road# Stk. # 45322-13(S) 79808 65322-01 45322-14(R) 79921 65322-02 45322-15(S) 79875 65322-03 45322-16(R) 79932 65322-04 45322-17(S) 79946 65322-05 45322-18(R) 79989 65322-06 Also note that at least in the HO version the cars had two different roof trough hatches either smooth(S) or ribbed(3). All 12 of the RTR cars were from the batch that had the UP-like sans serif reporting marks and letters vs. the serif style lettering of the first batch of 300 cars. Now for the kit versions I need some help please. In a different post, Rick McClellan identified 7 of the 12 road #'s offered. I would like to know the other and the corresponding item #'s of all 12. Also, the kits were mistakenly painted grey in the hopper area under the side sill. 79990 79854 79979 79865 79942 79912 79968
Ethan - Yes. SLSF 79500-79999 were Pullman-Standard 4750 ft3 LO's. The Frisco loved P-S covered hoppers. Ken
Talking about 4750 cuft covered hoppers. Has anyone came up with a Gray color match for Frisco covered hoppers? I have a few that are screaming for re-painting. It turns out Baking Soda is a great paint remover via air blasting, for plastic, without soaking it in fluid. Which is good, as it is not hazmat Working on some decals, the Black hopper bottoms could be an issue too but I gotta give it a try. Any Gray color suggestions would be great. Thanks! Tom Holley
The best paint remover I have found is Castrol super clean degreaser found at any auto parts store. It is a lightly purple colored liquid that will not harm plastic. It removes paint in about 30 minutes, and is reuseable many times. No ofensive odor. Beats all the others hands down.
Thanks Richard, That is good information, I have been using brake fluid and Scalecoat remover for years, Brake fluid I dont want to work with anymore and that Scalecoat at 18-19 dollars a pint is getting too rich for me. Think a trip to Wally World for some Castrol Super Clean is in order. The reason I am using air to do this is when soaked to remove paint the glued on details come loose and fall off once in a while. Going to give one or two a try. Still having to come up with a paint color for these cars, thats close to IM. Would prefer not to have to mix to get there but that may be what ends up happening. Thanks Tom Holley
For those of us that pre-ordered these or those who may still decide they want to purchase them, Intermountain has announced that they will begin shipping these the week of Sept. 3rd. This applies to both HO and N scale versions.
Thats great news Bob With all the bad news about availability and all, it good to hear something is actually showing up. Tom Holley
I have five N scale Intermountain covered hoppers that look really nice- I can only imagine how well the HO models look. As for paint stripping, I'm an advocate of 91% isopropyl alcohol- I used to use brake fluid back in the day, but now I wouldn't touch the stuff on a bet.
Thanks Bob and everyone, Just got word from my Local IM pusher that the IM HO scale hoppers are shipping, have a dozen coming but 6 #'s. In all honesty the Bar & Hammer Soda Ash, thru a Paasche eraser is the bomb for me. The Soda has the abrasive qualities to remove the lettering "ink" and not bother the paint, as long as you dont let the blasting agent focus on any part too long. You just need to wash the model and clear coat where the numbering takes place and finish like any other project. BTW Bob. You remember Dave Morris from GJ? Tom Holley
Tom - Interesting, soda ash as an abrasive. I'd never thought of that. Be careful with it - don't inhale the dust. Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is highly alkaline, pH = 11.7, in concentrated form. That won't do your respiratory system much good. Ken
Thanks Ken, Thats is good info, I try to work "up wind" and wear a mask but still need to be careful, but man that stuff works like a champ. Tom Holley
Were the N scale ones released as well? Anyone know where I can pick these up? I keep seeing some older hoppers on ebay and even at some one line stores, but this run has eluded me. Thanks