IRC Frisco 2-Bay Covered Hopper

I received word from my on-line "pusher" that the Intermountain Frisco 2-bay Pullman Standard covered hopper is ready to ship. It is IRC #48609, and is available in six road numbers (SLSF 83854, -871, -907, -930, -956, -982). It is black with white lettering, numbers and Frisco coonskin. The IRC web site has SLSF 83907 pictured. Nice looking! It's available in eleven other roads as well - but not MKT! (Ha! ..... private joke!)

This is a model of the same car that Bowser introduced five years or so ago. The Bowser kit is really well done; I've built a bunch of them in both Frisco and Monsanto (my employer) colors. As an old chemical guy, I'm addicted to covered hoppers (and tank cars), so I ordered one of these new IRC's. I told him to ship whatever car number he had, as long as it is Frisco! If it is as nice as it looks, I may get another one or two; the IRC pic looks like this car is even nicer than the Bowser version.

I'll do a quick review when the car arrives. Has anyone else ordered this car? SLSF build dates, all by P-S, are 1948-1950, so it fits into a wide range of the Frisco diesel era. Several of them wound up in company service at the end of their careers.

The Frisco hauled a lot of glass sand in these for Owens-Illinois as I recall. I remember seeing these roll through Rolla now and then. I always liked the look of the open sides between the hoppers, which the builders don't do now with modern LO's.

Monsanto shipped detergent builders in them out of our Trenton, Michigan plant to the big soapers - P&G, Colgate, Lever, Purex, etc., and used them for about 10-15 years before switching to more modern, leased cars in the mid/late 1960's.

Ken

 

I received my InterMountain Frisco 1958ft3 2-bay P-S covered hopper today. As Bob correctly predicted, it is VERY nice.

My car is IRC #48609-03, SLSF 83907, one of six different SLSF road numbers IRC offers. The car is in black, with excellent white lettering, coonskin logo, numbering, sides and ends. This car was built in Sept, 1950, and served for 15-20 years, so it is good for a wide range of the early Frisco diesel years.

Detail is excellent. I'm a big fan of the Bowser version of this car, but this IRC example is better. Full details - cut levers, air line hoses, full grab irons, fine detail roofwalk, "scale" couplers, nice brake wheel (Universal) and metal wheel sets. The trucks are OK - not the ASF A-3 "Ride Control" trucks SLSF used on these cars, but close enuf such that nobody other than a truck nut (like me - I've been trained by Pat Wider) will notice. If this detail bothers you, set it on a pair of Kato A-3's (used under all of my Bowsers). The IRC lettering, numbers & logo detail is much better than Bowser's. The hopper bottom and gate detail is very well done. Rods, levers, grabs all very fine.

I would recommend this IRC car to anyone who is modeling the Frisco in the 1950's, 1960's, or early 1970's. It's RTR, not a kit. List price is expensive ($32), but the car can be found for less than $20 on eBay. I noticed all six SLSF numbers, plus several of the other eleven roads IRC offers for this car, listed on eBay already, so go after 'em if you are interested. I think it is well worth it.

I have so many Bowsers, plus a similar Frisco car in brass (SLSF 83861 with the "Frisco Lines" logo and closed side sheets, built 1948), that I'll likely not get any more IRC's - though I'm tempted! I like this IRC car a LOT.

Ken