Athearn ATH12939 ACF 4600 3-Bay Centerflow Hopper C&EI #718533 Freight Cars N Scale

BN FEATURES:
Era: 1979+
BN: As-Delivered. Late style body with stiffener ribs and low brake wheel.
ROCK FEATURES:
Era: 1978+
The Rock: As-Delivered. Late style body with stiffener ribs and low brake wheel.
EX-ROCK FEATURES:
FURX: These cars over their life time went through a few different owners. Due to the expense of repainting an entire car, it was easier to just patch the new road name and number over the previous one. Era: 2000s+
SSW and MILW: After the bankruptcy of the Rock in 1980, these cars were quickly leased to railroads with a simple patch, still using the original numbers. Era: Mid 1980s+
C&EI FEATURES:
Era: Late 1970s+
C&EI: As-Delivered, Late body with stiffener ribs and low brake wheel.
SCL FAMILY LINES FEATURES:
Era: 1979+
As-Delivered, late style body with stiffener ribs and low brake wheel.
Limited run 3-pack includes pre-CSX merger cars from Seaboard and Family Lines System. Some of these cars were never fully repainted into CSX, roaming the system in their original paint 30+ years after being delivered.
MP FEATURES:
Era: Mid 1970s+
MP: “buzz saw” logo. As-delivered, late style body with stiffener ribs and low brake wheel.
Limited run 3-pack includes pre-merger MP and CE&I cars, and a unique MP “patched” ex-CE&I car.
MODEL FEATURES:
Three body styles:
Early- High side ladder & brake wheel, single side stiffener
Mid- Low brake wheel, short side ladders both ends, single side stiffener
Late- As above but with double side stiffeners (post 1971)
Round or trough hatches
Photo-etched metal roofwalk
Separately applied wire grab irons and stirrup steps
Numerous detailed outlet versions
Separate brake cylinder, valve and air reservoir with wire brake plumbing
Multiple roadnumbers
Fully-assembled and ready-to-run out of the box
Accurately painted and printed
Highly detailed, injection molded body
Separately applied brake wheel
Screw mounted trucks
Body mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers
Weighted for trouble free operation
Minimum radius: 9¾”
Detailed outlets
100-ton trucks with 36” machined metal wheels
PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The 3-bay CenterFlow covered hopper first entered service in the mid-1960s, built by American Car and Foundry. The cars handle loads such as grain, corn and similar bulk commodities. The Centerflow design relies on the car’s rounded body to provide structural strength - eliminating the traditional center sill, and making gravity unloading easier. Our 3-bay car represents the common 4600 cu.ft. capacity version. The railroads looking to replace their aging 40’ box cars in grain service needed a modern hopper design - one that could operate within the tighter Plate B clearances for light branchline and industrial service. ACF’s design won them many contracts from a plethora of railroads. One can find these cars still in revenue service today in grain trains and other similar service.

Specifications
PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURER: American Car & Foundry
TRUCK STYLE: Genesis 100-ton
COUPLER STYLE: McHenry Scale Knuckle
ERA: 1970s+
Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
Is Assembly Required: No