Model Railroading > Union Terminal Imports - DODX Flats

Also arriving this week was several of UTI's DODX 150 Ton Military flats. First three images are of the BN Green version, as they showed better than the darker OD green cars. Cars are exteremely well detailed, and come with half a dozen parts bags to include both raised and collapsed container pedestals as well as a multitude of chain sets and hooks.

Image #1 - Overall View of the car

Image #2 - B End side view showing the brake detail.

Image #3 - B End end view.

NSTopHat

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Image #4 - Overall View of the OD Green Version.

NSTopHat

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Army Strykers moved on DODX flatcars via BNSF's Front Range Subdivision at Broomfield, CO, in 2011. DODX 42348 - how many tons can that car handle?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/12 15:31 by cozephyr.

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What era are the UTI DODX cars?

Rick

OD Green are "as delivered" 10-1985.
The BN Green has a repaint date of 2001.

PT Smith

Rick:

The UTI models have exposed roller bearings, so they are post 1970's. And to cozephyer, those flats are 100T, IIRC. There is a nice military website that has tons on info on it regarding DODX flats. That individual is offering, at some point a resin 150T DODX HD flat like the UTI model. I will post the link later. Generically the yellow DODX are 89' and the reds are 68', both 100T. The weblink will have better info.

Russ

Posted from BlackBerry

http://www.jctworld.us/militaryflats.htm

Weblink to more in-depth DODX info.
Russ

So how Much Per Flatcar ?

Very nice models, very nice detailing. Good job all around.

~ BZ

miralomarail Wrote:
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> So how Much Per Flatcar ?

IIRC, they retail for $250.00 Ea as they are brass models.

Russ

These are BEAUTIFUL cars. I bought one and they are outstanding!! There's just one problem: These cars are run in unit trains when they move military equipment and I have found that running a lot of brass cars is one: too expensive and two: the cars are too heavy. Therefore that being said, we need a major manufacturer to not only do these cars but do the correct triple axle roller bearing trucks and the equipment they haul. I CANNOT BELIEVE with all the attention the military is getting these days (and they deserve it) that this car has not been produced in plastic. HELLO? ANY ONE OUT THERE? Give us the 68' triple axle car along with the Strykers, humvees, M1A1s and Bradleys we need. I would wager you would make a small fortune in sales.

I would love to see someone with Modeling skills to Take One of these Cars and Make it into the Special Army Locomotive Transport Cars including the Ramp and say Bachmens GE 44T aboard

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WOW!! That IS really cool. I might convert my one car I bought to this and WAIT for the plastic versions....if they ever come. Thanks for the photo.

gandydancer4 Wrote:
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> These are BEAUTIFUL cars. I bought one and they
> are outstanding!! There's just one problem: These
> cars are run in unit trains when they move
> military equipment...

While I certainly understand the desire to run an entire train of these flats (I'm a tanker, after all), it's not unheard of to see these cars by themselves or in groups of two or three in a regular freight train. Sometimes they can be seen moving empty, or transporting just a couple vehicles (such as battle damaged tanks or ones needing high-level depot repair back at General Dynamics). I think the cars sometimes appear by themselves when headed to the shop for servicing too. Not being able to run a full train of these shouldn't stop someone from buying just one or two to occasionally put on the end of a regular train. That's what I plan to so with mine. Obviously it would be great to have a full train of them, but that won't stop me from running these beautiful models.

Bradleys, M113s, M109s, and other lighter armored vehicles are normally transported on lighter flat cars, like the Intermountain 60' wood deck flat car, while wheeled vehicles are normally carried on 89' flats. These DODX flats are almost always reserved for the heaviest tracked vehicles - M1s and M88s - although you will occasionally see other vehicles on them.

Thanks for posting the photos, Russ. I won't get to see mine for a few more weeks.

Dave



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/12 06:58 by drolsen.

Couldn't agree more. Seems like a shortfall to not have a better selection of military vehicles and lower priced freight car options to more accurately represent a military train without going broke! Sure the Herpa models are ok, but would be nice to have highly detailed models like the cando models (wrong scales) to really fit on trains, but ok for static scene.

gandydancer4 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> These are BEAUTIFUL cars. I bought one and they
> are outstanding!! There's just one problem: These
> cars are run in unit trains when they move
> military equipment and I have found that running a
> lot of brass cars is one: too expensive and two:
> the cars are too heavy. Therefore that being said,
> we need a major manufacturer to not only do these
> cars but do the correct triple axle roller bearing
> trucks and the equipment they haul. I CANNOT
> BELIEVE with all the attention the military is
> getting these days (and they deserve it) that this
> car has not been produced in plastic. HELLO? ANY
> ONE OUT THERE? Give us the 68' triple axle car
> along with the Strykers, humvees, M1A1s and
> Bradleys we need. I would wager you would make a
> small fortune in sales.

Mike DeBerg
Bloomington, IL

mdeberg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Couldn't agree more. Seems like a shortfall to
> not have a better selection of military vehicles
> and lower priced freight car options to more
> accurately represent a military train without
> going broke! Sure the Herpa models are ok, but
> would be nice to have highly detailed models like
> the cando models (wrong scales) to really fit on
> trains, but ok for static scene.
>
> gandydancer4 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > These are BEAUTIFUL cars. I bought one and they
> > are outstanding!! There's just one problem:
> These
> > cars are run in unit trains when they move
> > military equipment and I have found that running
> a
> > lot of brass cars is one: too expensive and
> two:
> > the cars are too heavy. Therefore that being
> said,
> > we need a major manufacturer to not only do
> these
> > cars but do the correct triple axle roller
> bearing
> > trucks and the equipment they haul. I CANNOT
> > BELIEVE with all the attention the military is
> > getting these days (and they deserve it) that
> this
> > car has not been produced in plastic. HELLO?
> ANY
> > ONE OUT THERE? Give us the 68' triple axle car
> > along with the Strykers, humvees, M1A1s and
> > Bradleys we need. I would wager you would make
> a
> > small fortune in sales.

The Herpa (formerly Roco Minitanks) armor models (M1A1, M3 Bradley, Hummvees, M978s, etc) are actual 1/87 scale, but yeah, they could use some etched details to really bring them up to current day standards. Still, the models are to scale, and not bad, including the M1 Abrams, which people think is "too wide". Um no.. It's correct, at least from my casual observation. Note that the UTI cars have a wider deck to accommodate the M1 Abrams.

In lieu of everything else, Herpa/Roco is the best there is in HO, other than perhaps the occasional release from Trident.

Cheers,
Harry



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/12 22:36 by tracktime.

Harry,

That's good news that Herpa picked up the Roco/Minitanks line. Hopefully they will be more readily available now than in the past.

Russ

NSTopHat Wrote:
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> Harry,
>
> That's good news that Herpa picked up the
> Roco/Minitanks line. Hopefully they will be more
> readily available now than in the past.
>
> Russ

Yeah, Roco Minitanks have always been hard to find in substantial numbers here in the USA. I'll always remember the hobby shop I visited overseas when I was a kid. They had boxes and boxes and boxes of the stuff.. several twelve packs of a single model, etc.. As the prices there were about only 25% of the price in the US, you bet I scooped up on a boatload of them back then. It looked a little funny going through customs on the way back though..

US Customs Agent: "You bought those for resale?"
Me (14-year old kid then): "Um no. They're just toys to me". Truth. =)

Cheers,
Harry

They used to be part of the AHM Line