Model Railroading > Belle hoppers, lining them up...

All laid out on top of the pool table at the moment...

I'm in the final phases of completing a massive renumbering project for 20 of my KCS "Belle" grain hoppers. Several years back I swiped every HO scale Athearn RTR KCS Belle grain hopper I could find online to get up to 30 cars worth for a nice sized looking train. Many folks here may remember some of the photos I've posted on and off of the train over the years now... Unfortunately there were only so many factory offered numbers available at the time, meaning LOTS of duplicates. Well of all things, Odd Balls Decals produced a sheet of KCS Bell Hopper decals. I've had 4 sheets of these decals for several years now and just finally got sick and tired of looking at the same 5-6 numbers go by 3-4 tines in a row. Now with the recent addition of ScaleTrains and several of their much more accurate renditions of these contemporary 3-bay hoppers blended in, I'm finally tackling the project of renumbering all of my duplicate Athearn models.

Only three duplicates left!


~ Mr. KCS

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 I counted 33 black KCS Hoppers ( may be wrong) . Do you think that's enough ?

Good grief!

GP30Frank Wrote:
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>  I counted 33 black KCS Hoppers ( may be wrong) .
> Do you think that's enough ?

Yes, as a matter of fact I do. While operating several times a week on a medium to large 25' by 75' (bi-level) HO scale (club owned/operated) layout where an operator can stand in-place at multiple points of view to observe and appreciate their entire 40-60 car train within their field of view without turning a head... Yes, this 48 car KCS train is the proper size for the layout it typically operates on. These unit trains can run up to 100+ cars in real life through the Texas countryside all the time. So if anything, my train is short!

But I understand where you're coming from, no hard feelings.


BTW, here are a couple closeup views of two renumbered cars next to factory numbered cars. The Oddballs decals are slightly smaller, and a tick or two lighter than their Athearn painted companions. Close enough for me.

~ Mr. KCS

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I own 30* of the Athearn Belle Trinity 5161 Hoppers (RTR), *one of which is actually an Athearn Genesis Trinity pre-production paint sample I picked up at Arnie's Model Trains hobby shop back in the day when they still had insider connections to the upper management at Athearn Model Trains.... The other models (except for one brown InterMountain 4750) seen above sitting in their Axian-Tech foam padded transportation boxes, are basically all the recently released more accurate ScaleTrains Gunderson 5188 models.

Mr. KCS

Robbie , I also went in big on the Belle Hoppers.Think I am around 30ish ,with some Intermountain preorders still in the works.
I had  admired,but resisted the Potash cars from PWRS ,until you posted your photos of your train at LaMesa,that was enough to tip me over the edge.Just waiting on the Nutrien cars to finnish up that CCard destroyer.
Regards,DK

Great collection you have assembled Robbie. I’m lazy, I would just make sure the duplicate car numbers weren’t next to each other and call it good!

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That is undoubtedly the finest looking covered hopper on U.S. railroads today and I don't blame you for glomming onto a bunch of them.  

To be up to date, these cars are no longer KCS cars. The heralds reporting marks and car numbers have been painted over (heralds) or changed. Can't rember the reporting marks at the moment but they come through Montana in singles or pairs scatterred through BNSF grain trains.

I have one of the Genesis SD70ACe units in KCS yellow, red, black and silver. It was the first sound unit I bought and they come over the MRL as BNSF pool power. The unit showed me diesel sounds had gotten better. When Soundtraxx had their Tsunami2 give away trade in I used this decoder for a trade in for the new Tsunami2. The second generation Tsunami sounds do sound better.

Trying to find 3 of the bright KCS END or GE units might be hard. A set would really make the train stand out, though.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/19 11:41 by fbe.

fbe Wrote:
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> To be up to date, these cars are no longer KCS
> cars. The heralds reporting marks and car numbers
> have been painted over (heralds) or changed. Can't
> rember the reporting marks at the moment but they
> come through Montana in singles or pairs
> scatterred through BNSF grain trains.
 I have seen those hoppers without the KCS herald on the Revelstoke webcam often.
Regards,DK

COER reporting marks, CP has leased a large number of them. I think it's an interim lease pending delivery of large numbers of their own new cars.

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Darren Boes
Lethbridge, AB
Southern Alberta Railfan

FBE, only some have been sold, We still see the KCS cars al the time. All of the ones sold I've seen are COER lettered

Mike Mautner
Maryland Hts., MO

KCS only sold some of the ARI 5200 type Belle hoppers to COER which is what the Athearn 5161 is supposed to represent for the KCS versions. They still have some of the ARI 5200 Belle hoppers an all of the Gunderson 5188s left. KCS not to long ago picked up some of the ex UP NSC grain hoppers. Didn’t understand why KCS sold some of the ARI 5200s but then picked up a lot of junk hoppers, now a days you can’t even catch a solid Belle Hopper train anymore.

Nice  collection,MrMRL. My Son is working on a KCS grain train. He has about 27 cars. Two Athearns "Southern Belle" cars, 15 or so Scale Trains "Southern Belle" hoppers and nine of the off white KCS cars and one Intermountain rib side grain 3 bay covered hopper. He wants a few more cars. He has KCS ES44AC and SD70ACe locos. He's waiting for Scale Trains to come out with Kansas City Southern ET44AC Locomotives.

SantaFeRuss

You missed the Deshler custom numbers!! Wife has about 40 I think.
Ex now. Probably never see them again:(

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