Model Railroading > Tangent Scale Models: NEW UP Bethlehem Quad Hopper

This is the second Tangent Scale Models press release for today!

At today’s NMRA National Train Show in Milwaukee WI, Tangent Scale Models is pleased to announce our fourth ALL-NEW HO scale freight car, the Bethlehem Steel design open quad hopper – with coal load - as produced for Union Pacific, available July 28!

These cars represent UP’s largest fleet of coal hoppers in company history. First produced in 1974 by Bethlehem Steel as UP class H-100-10, production of a majority of the fleet occurred in UP’s Albina (Portland OR) Shops between 1976 and 1981. Production of this important fleet ended with the H-100-23 class, after UP placed more than 6,900 of these “quad” hoppers in service in the rapidly-growing Western low-sulfur coal market. These cars became the workhorses of the UP coal fleet, serving coal originations in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, including non-UP coal originations on DRGW, Utah Railway, and Wyoming & Colorado (a former UP branchline). These locations continue to source coal in these UP quad hoppers! Their use has wandered far from coal origin points, including the famed trains over Cajon Pass to Southern California, utilizing mixed DRGW and UP power (plus helpers). These cars have also seen service to all Eastern carriers through interchange service from UP. These quad hoppers continue to operate both in coal and other services, such as miscellaneous aggregates, coke, and sugar beet services.

The Tangent Scale Models prototype replica of the Union Pacific Bethlehem design quad hopper has never been produced in HO scale, making it a distinctive addition to any freight car fleet. And like all of the other products in our line, we take the time to maintain our strong emphasis on accurate reproduction of the prototype, as well as disciplined execution of each model. Finally, we design our products to be utilized in operating environments. Notable callouts for our new UP Bethlehem Steel design open quad hopper include:

- Highly accurate “true to life” colors
- Exact fonts and lettering placement
- Painted, scale-sized wire grabirons and coupler lift bars for strength and durability
- Air hoses
- Thin-profile brake piping
- See-through etched metal brake platforms
- L-shaped end-sheet supports
- Interior bracing detail
- Highly-detailed hopper bay outlet gates
- “Narrow appearance” coupler box with Kadee® scale couplers
- Ready-to-operate model with hidden weights
- Tangent 100-ton N-11 trucks with free-rolling metal wheels
- A “Tangent-accurate” non-symmetrical, properly-sloped coal load
- Dimensional accuracy - scaled from prototype plans
- Car number selection process - we select car numbers from online or published sources, focusing on late era numbers to represent more than 35 years in continuous operation.

Our first production is available in the following 9 Union Pacific scheme variations, covering all eras of original paint and repaint possibilities. We are also offering a wide selection of roadnumbers in order to allow customization of trains appropriate for your modeling era:

- Scheme 1: Union Pacific "Original H-100-16" in UP freight car red carbody, available in 9 randomly numbered 3-packs for a total of 27 road numbers, plus 9 individual road numbers (for a total of 36 road numbers)

- Scheme 2: Union Pacific "Original H-100-17" in black carbody with Armour Yellow ends, available in 9 randomly numbered 3-packs for a total of 27 road numbers, plus 9 individual road numbers (for a total of 36 road numbers)

- Scheme 3: Union Pacific "Original H-100-18" double rotary end car in black with Armour Yellow ends, available in 2 road numbers

- Scheme 4: Union Pacific "1989 H-100-18 Black Repaint" in black carbody with UP shield, and Armour Yellow ends, available in 6 road numbers

- Scheme 5: Union Pacific "1989 H-100-18 Black Repaint” in black carbody with UP shield, and white ends, available in 1 road number

- Scheme 6: Union Pacific "1989 H-100-18 Black Repaint” in black carbody with no UP shield, with white ends, available in 1 road number

- Scheme 7: Union Pacific "1989 H-100-19 Red Repaint" in UP freight car red carbody with UP shield, available in 2 road numbers

- Scheme 8: Union Pacific "1991 H-100-16 Red Repaint" in UP freight car red carbody with UP shield, available in 4 road numbers

- Scheme 9: Union Pacific "1997 H-100-19 Black Repaint" in black carbody with UP shield, and Armour Yellow ends, available in 5 road numbers

- Undecorated Primer Gray assembled

Want to see photos of these spectacular replicas? See http://tangentscalemodels.com/bethlehemquadhopperreplicas.aspx for a link to the new models!

Pricing for our new RTR hoppers is $32.95 each for singles, and $87.99 for three packs. Because these are likely desired in greater quantities, we then offer extended discounts for multiple car “mix and match” quantities at increments of 3, 12, 24, and 36 models. Feel free to “mix and match” your own multi-number and multi-scheme order! Our store is available here: http://tangentscalemodels.com/bethlehemquadhopper.aspx

We are debuting these cars at the National Train Show this weekend in Milwaukee WI. The models are on US soil now and will begin shipping on July 28. Order online today from http://tangentscalemodels.com/bethlehemquadhopper.aspx for the fastest, guaranteed shipping when they arrive.

To learn more about the prototype, click here: http://tangentscalemodels.com/bethlehemquadhopperprototype.aspx

And if you are at the National Train Show in Milwaukee, please drop by booth 62 and say hello, and witness the production models in person!

That wraps up our second update for today – check out our other press release featuring our new gondolas here:
http://tangentscalemodels.com/acf70tongondolareplicas.aspx

In case you missed it, in May we announced a new run of PS-2 4000 hoppers. Info available here:
http://tangentscalemodels.com/ps4000replicas.aspx

We thank you for continuing to support the little guys in our big industry!

David Lehlbach
Tangent Scale Models
“Unparalleled scale replicas for discriminating railroad modelers”
www.tangentscalemodels.com
tangentscalemodels@yahoo.com
PO Box 6514
Asheville NC 28816
828-279-6106



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/10 05:21 by TangentScaleModels.

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More photos... thanks to Trainorders for letting us post here!

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More photos...

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A last pair. Thank you for looking!

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Interior...

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Wow...Now I'm certainly GLAD that I kept my Athearn MoPac SD50's!!! Hmmmmm.

Thomas Austin
Centralia, IL
Joppa Sub Layout Site

This model looks great. I'm glad someone finally took the effort to model this hopper.

Wow, they actually put a realistic load in the thing, instead of the "fill all corners" loads that are made for most cars!

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Nice looking car! Did any other railroads own these hoppers?

alligatorfan Wrote:
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> Nice looking car! Did any other railroads own
> these hoppers?

I was wondering myself how close of a stand-in these might be to the four-bays that the B&LE, IC, CRR, and L&N got at about the same time....

toledopatch Wrote:
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> I was wondering myself how close of a stand-in
> these might be to the four-bays that the B&LE, IC,
> CRR, and L&N got at about the same time....

This is one of those things where's it's really up to you how much compromise you are comfortable with. As a CSX modeler and someone who has also seen a lot of the UP, MP, and DRGW cars in Texas, they all look unique to me, except that they have 4 hopper bays and were built by Bethlehem Steel. Here are the dimensional comparisons (sorry, I don't have photos of the B&LE or IC cars):

UP Length: 53' 1"
UP Extreme Height: 12' 8"

CRR/L&N/CSXT Length: 53' 1"
CRR/L&N/CSXT EXH: 12' 1"

MP Length: 51' 8"
MP EXH: 12' 1"

DRGW Length: 51' 8"
DRGW EXH: 11' 8"

And some photos below for comparison - note the differences in height at top of the sloped end sheets on each car.

Dave

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Lastly, the D&RGW car.

These new Tangent UP models fill a huge void for modelers of the mid-'70s and later. They show up all over the country, including the East Coast, mixed in with other freight, not just in unit trains, so they're not just for Western modelers.

Dave

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"CSX U-83920 East on 2, Clear Harper`s Ferry. UP 8188`s Out!"

Whoa!!

twl

Here's one other option for contemporary modelers to use these hoppers - I shot this car in a CSX train in Hancock, WV (note that this is an early version of the car that Tangent modeled, but there may be some exact matches out there):



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/10 16:07 by drolsen.

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I have seen the models in person at the National Train Show today. They look great. Detail is as you would expect from Tangent. The interior is nicely detailed and the load is designed to fit right over. A couple of those would blend in nicely with some CNW coal cars!

Jeff Eggert

drolsen Wrote:
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> These new Tangent UP models fill a huge void for
> modelers of the mid-'70s and later. They show up
> all over the country, including the East Coast,
> mixed in with other freight, not just in unit
> trains, so they're not just for Western modelers.

In what service have they been to the East Coast? Not disputing, just inquiring. Coke to Sparrows Point, maybe?

The UP coal trains to Baltimore had them. U-839

twl

toledopatch Wrote:
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> drolsen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > These new Tangent UP models fill a huge void
> for
> > modelers of the mid-'70s and later. They show
> up
> > all over the country, including the East Coast,
> > mixed in with other freight, not just in unit
> > trains, so they're not just for Western
> modelers.
>
> In what service have they been to the East Coast?
> Not disputing, just inquiring. Coke to Sparrows
> Point, maybe?

keysubdiv Wrote:
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> The UP coal trains to Baltimore had them. U-839

Do you know what years that train ran, and is it still running? I found photos of it on the Old Main Line with UP power. That could be really awesome (and bad financially) if it fits into my 1998 Old Main Line modeling theme. Thanks!

toledopatch Wrote:
--------------------------------------------------
> In what service have they been to the East Coast?
> Not disputing, just inquiring. Coke to Sparrows
> Point, maybe?

I'm not sure if it's still running, but there was also a UP train that ran to Pittsburgh and was made up of these UP hoppers, plus former CNW, MP, and DRGW cars (mixed together like most UP coal trains these days). It was covered in Blue Ridge Productions' DVD, Sand Patch Volume 3. I can't remember the train symbol, but I can look it up if you're interested. Come to think of it, that was probably U-839, and the video was filmed during the timeframe that the train was running (appears to be 2004-2006 from the photos I found on RailPictures.Net).

Other than that, I've seen a few random single cars mixed into CSX trains, possible empties headed back west - at least the one I saw at Saint Denis heading onto the Old Main Line was.

Dave



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/10 19:54 by drolsen.

This is a GREAT release for 80's through today modelers! Just spent over an hour Wednesday shooting photos of various UP Bethlehem Quad Hopps in Mojave (bound for Oak Creek branch and Monolith cement plants). Maybe I'll be back to post some photos...

...and I'm BACK!


Okay here are some UP Bethlehem Quad Hopper photos taken a few days ago in Mojave, CA. These ex-unit train coal hoppers have been kicked down to serving Tehachapi's Monolith Lehigh Southwest cement plant and California Portland Cement plant just West of Mojave on the Oak Creek Branch. Nice to get a handful of UP-conquered fallen flag hoppers in one area!

More photos of various UP hoppers (including other gon class DRGW, MP, CNW and ex-UP CTRN ones) at:

http://www.pbase.com/espeeboy/freight

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Photos:

UP 39999, H-100-16 (Tangent UP Scheme #1)

UP 40020, H-100-16 (Tangent UP Scheme #1 + added safety stripes)

UP 40738, H-100-19 (Tangent UP Scheme not offered yet)

UP 44033, H-100-17 (Tangent UP Scheme #2)

UP 44316, H-100-17 (Tangent UP Scheme #4 + added safety stripes)

UP 44560, H-100-18 (Tangent UP Scheme #4)

UP 46322, H-100-19 (Tangent UP Scheme not offered yet)

UP 46481, H-100-19 (Tangent UP Scheme #9 + added safety stripes)

UP 46516, H-100-19 (Tangent UP Scheme not offered yet)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/10 23:38 by espeeboy.

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drolsen Wrote:
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> Lastly, the D&RGW car.
>
> These new Tangent UP models fill a huge void for
> modelers of the mid-'70s and later. They show up
> all over the country, including the East Coast,
> mixed in with other freight, not just in unit
> trains, so they're not just for Western modelers.
>
> Dave


Yeah.. Gee with this new be-you-tee-ful hopper, I can hear Soldier Summit, Wattis and Helper calling already. It's been ringing all day with that new Tangent 4-bay! Must resist.. =)

That said, a decent state-of-the-art DRGW 4-bay Bethlehem hopper in HO (not the old clunky Walthers model) would be an unspeakable miracle! Here's hoping..

Cheers,
Harry



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/10 09:33 by tracktime.