Microscale Industries announces Frisco Hopper and Gondola decals - AVAILABE NOW!

For you Frisco guys running open top gondola's and hoppers, Microscale Industries Decals announces a good decal set for you!

Microscale Frisco Open Top Gondola's and Hopper Decals

Take a look see!

Manny

 

Manny:

Thanks for posting this. Your link takes one directly to the HO scale offering. They are also available in N scale. Below is the link:

http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...=60-1459&Category_Code=NEWRLS&Product_Count=7

 

To All:

For reference sake, if possible, would someone or one's look at these and list any/all of the car classes they would apply to. Even if one of you as an individual lists one or two maybe as a group we can identify all of them. Also try and include the color of the car, the model manufacturer, and a reference photo or photos (i.e. Molo's Freight Car Book for instance). Be sure and identify the scale that you are referencing.

 

Well, Bob, I will try this again. I lost everything I had typed, even though it said it was being auto saved as I progressed. I must have hit something on my computer accidentally because everything I had typed disappeared. Here goes again. I am comparing cars I own in HO gauge with Molo's book Frisco/Katy Color Guide to Freight Equipment, pages 94-97.

1. The 55 ton red two bay hoppers on pg. 94: Ath BB-these cars are not bad except the numbers may be wrong. They should be 90000-90499 according to Molo's book unless there was another series with the notched angular ends in the 91736 series as numbered by Athearn. Accurail has several in the 86000 to 88000 range which I can't confirm. Atlas has several which the numbers appear to be correct. If anyone has access to the complete list of the 55 ton open top hoppers, they can give a better accounting of these cars--this is just what I have been able to see from Molo's book which only has two series listed.

2. The 100 ton three bay red ore hoppers on pg. 95: Roundhouse makes this car with good numbers even though the car is not accurate. It is not bad, but with some work the car could be improved. Cars numbered: 80000-80199 then renumbered 180000-180199 in 1979.

3. The 100 ton black three bay hoppers on pg. 96 & 97: These cars were painted with the Futura Black white typeface with railroad roman reporting marks and numbers in the 88200-88399 series and san serif reporting marks and numbers in the 88400-88599 series. The cars were built by CMS from ACF kits. Bowser has the car in a very close representation (if not spot on), but with the numbers both below the first series and above the second series in the railroad roman lettering. I can't confirm the accuracy of these cars based on Molo's book. Someone may know if the numbering on the Bowser cars is accurate or not. I hope they are as this is the style lettering on the cars I have. Athearn is also producing this car in the rtr model, but the car is not as good a model as the Bowser, even though the numbers are accurate in a single car and two four pack sets.

It is my educated guess that someone could conceivably decal any of the open top hoppers on the pages referenced in Molo's book, but I don't have any models to compare with the other cars pictured. Some one else will have to carry on from here.
By the way, if you don't own Molo's book: Color Guide to Freight Equiptment: Frisco/Katy, you should get one. I have been using this book to build two unique Frisco box cars and have relied heavily on this book with an added picture donated to me by Karl.
If anyone sees any inaccuracies, please correct them.

Terry

 

Thanks, Charlie, the next time my hands klutz my computer and that happens, I can save myself a lot of agony and work. I really am computer illiterate. I know just enough to be dangerous.

Terry

 

It looks like the sans serif "SL-SF" and matching numerals would work for the pre-BN Pullman Standard/Trinity 4750 covered hoppers in the green scheme. I've been wanting to model this one for, oh, twenty some years now:

http://www.pbase.com/mecrharris/image/55519114

 

The new Microscale decal sheet would seem appropriate to model any Frisco gondola or open hopper that was built in the 1960's or '70's. However, finding accurate or semi-accurate models as a starting point is another matter. In responce to Bob Hoover's request above, I would like to present my list of potential candidates. My selections are HO unless noted otherwise and my reference is Molo's Frisco/Katy Color Guide to Freight Equipment.

Life-Like Proto 2000 52'6" Drop End Mill Gondola The first orders of these were painted black, with subsiquent orders painted brown. They both came with heralds, but later rebuilds were painted brown with the billboard lettering. Molo: page 89, top and middle.

Athearn Ready-to-Roll 65'6" Mill Gondola This is available in both HO and N. Color: brown with billboard lettering. Molo: page 89, bottom.

McKean 3 bay 100 ton 15 panel Hopper This hopper may be hard to find and is somewhat crude by standards these days, but the number of ribs and spacing appears to be correct. Color: brown with narrow billboard lettering. Molo: page 96, middle.

Bowser 3 bay 100 ton 12 panel Hopper I agree with Terry that this is one of the more accurate models out there. Panels 2 and 3 outward from the center rib on either side are narrower than the others. Bowser has released several 6 car editions of this hopper with accurate numbers as far as I can tell. Color: black with Futura billboard lettering and either roman or gothic reporting marks. Molo: page 96, bottom (Roman reporting marks) and page 97, top (Gothic reporting marks). In regard to the upcoming Athearn release using this number series, it seems to be based on the Roundhouse car described by #2 in Terry's post and, IMHO is not very accurate.

Walthers Proto 1000 3 bay 100 ton 12 panel Hopper This car has the correct number of ribs and panel spacing, but represents a riveted design rather than being welded. Color: black with Futura billboard lettering and either roman or gothic reporting marks. Molo: page 96, bottom (Roman reporting marks) and page 97, top (Gothic reporting marks).

Rich

 

This is a great observation. Thanks for the input!

 

Great summary Rich! This should be very helpful to anyone wanting to do a better representation of the factory offerings. Thanks!