Athearn ATH25028 Bethgon Coalporter w/ Load WEPX #1 (5) Freight Car N Scale

MODEL FEATURES:
Fully assembled and ready for your layout
Razor sharp printing and painting
Weighted for optimum performance
Machined 36” metal wheels
NEW body mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers
Interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
Minimum radius: 10”

PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Coalporter was developed in an effort to create a higher-capacity, more efficient coal car. The traditional bottom hoppers were replaced by twin tubs, or troughs, that filled the space between the trucks. These increased the cubic capacity of the car and gave the added advantage of a lower center of gravity for better tracking. These original Coalporters were steel-bodied, but a drop in aluminum prices in the mid-1980s opened the door to the introduction of the aluminum-bodied BethGon Coalporter. The switch to aluminum shaved five tons off the car's weight - meaning that each car could carry five tons of additional payload, or an additional 575 tons of coal in a typical Coalporter unit train. Coalporters generally operate in solid unit trains. One end of each car is equipped with a rotary coupler, to allow a train to be fed through a rotary unloader without uncoupling the cars.

Specifications
PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURER: Johnstown America
BODY STYLE: Bethgon Coalporter
COUPLER STYLE: Body Mounted McHenry Scale Knuckle
ERA: 1990+
Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
Is Assembly Required: No