Model Train Journal

The big L has a rotary gondola and they call it a 'bathgon' or more accurately a bathtub gondola.

https://www.amazon.com/LIONEL-BATHTUB-G ... B06XXY752V

mmm-hmm, and at $94 apiece putting a modestly realistic length unit train well within the budget of most 2-railers modeling the "modern image."
Wow, aside from the usual cast-on grabs and thick stirrups not bad .

I saw somewhere that Atlas was supposed to be doing them, but I couldn't bring up anything on them with my search.

I really have NO interest other than academic, but the talk over on NK of guys wanting 100 of the MMW brass ones at $600 a pop, made my wallet skip a beat.

De Bruin wrote:Wow, aside from the usual cast-on grabs and thick stirrups not bad .

The die-cast 100-ton 3-bay hoppers that Lionel did in 2006 are much nicer:
SKU: 6-11893 NORFOLK & WESTERN 3-BAY DIE-CAST COAL HOPPER 3-PACK
They have separate grabirons, spinning roller bearings and prototypical paint schemes.

The only negative is their weight -- I don't think anyone makes a coupler strong enough for a prototypical-length train of these cars.

Yes those are nice, but IMO not modern enough to approximate one of those current (within the last 30 years) monster strings of Utility owned fleets that feed the Southern Co's grid and the C02 effluent stream, I'd love to see a good sized train in 1:48, ideally with distributed power tooling around someone's layout. CSX re-routes one of these through my neighborhood on it's way to Macon about once a month, they're humbling and sobering to behold. Maybe someone will spend 18 to 27K on the MMW versions and we'll see it, or you know, 2K to 3K on this Lionel version.
In terms of practicality, my experience in 1:48 is about forty cars is the usual threshold given a sufficient length for continous running, though I have seen analog industrial power supply powered trains on my old and absurdly large modular club layout in excess of 100 cars in the late eighties.
Back then it was a "show stopper."

I'd love to see a good sized train in 1:48, ideally with distributed power tooling around someone's layout.

Rick Trinkle (the Trinkle Trains guy) was going to do just that by mass producing his own hoppers -- I met him 4 or 5 years ago at the big TCA show in Denver. I don't know if he actually pulled it off or not.

The only place I recall seeing 100 car trains is the Chi-town Union Station layout. The old memory is fuzzy, but I think they were all hoppers of some sort, pulled by about four engines.

The problem I see with any of these looooooooong trains with identical cars is that they're booooooring.

E7 wrote:The problem I see with any of these looooooooong trains with identical cars is that they're booooooring.

Yes. I suspect that those that can also afford to assemble trains of such size may doze off in the middle of their passing on the layout anyway.

Here's a string, starting at the 4:24 minute mark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ6HrcMEP54

These were NOT $600 per car. They were vacuumed formed cars made by Barney Stemple (sp?)

Not bethgons, but some really neat footage of a train of loaded Norfolk Southern "Top Gons" on an HO layout:
https://youtu.be/1T7lR73NyVs?t=341

I remember....20-25 years ago, in 2-rail, somebody produced a brass, painted (?) two bay hopper. Everyone was ga-ga over it, and at the time they were a couple hundred each.

So, I finished up a string of three SC cast two-bays, countersunk screw assembled instead of drive pings, painted and NP lettered. Took them to the gathering at Garbersons, set them on the display table inside the front door, and everyone went nuts. Until I picked one up and showed them they were at least 50 year old SC hoppers.

Some of the Lionel stuff.....chisel off the grabs and steps, fill, smooth, install scale grabs and steps, paint and letter, and sometimes you get away with it....

ScaleCraft wrote:I remember....20-25 years ago, in 2-rail, somebody produced a brass, painted (?) two bay hopper. Everyone was ga-ga over it, and at the time they were a couple hundred each.
So, I finished up a string of three SC cast two-bays, countersunk screw assembled instead of drive pings, painted and NP lettered. Took them to the gathering at Garbersons, set them on the display table inside the front door, and everyone went nuts. Until I picked one up and showed them they were at least 50 year old SC hoppers.

Some of the Lionel stuff.....chisel off the grabs and steps, fill, smooth, install scale grabs and steps, paint and letter, and sometimes you get away with it....

No shame in that. It all depends on what YOU like and are willing to accept. The de vil is in the details, meaning how much detail do you want/need.

and first glance, nobody knew. Key issue.

ScaleCraft wrote:and first glance, nobody knew. Key issue.

The dreaded 3 foot rule, maybe!

E7 wrote:No shame in that. It all depends on what YOU like and are willing to accept. The de vil is in the details, meaning how much detail do you want/need.

I am perfectly happy with the Weaver, SC, etc level of detail. Less stuff to fall/break off; like with Intermountain's products.