ExactRail UP FMC 4000 UP vs Kaiser Coal Train

[riogrande]

I was at the Greenberg Train show today which was in Chantilly VA (never mind it was 75% O gauge or tin plate).

A vendor who had lots of ExactRail had some UP FMC "Coal Liner" 4000 gondola's. They were decorated exactly like the Athearn Thrall UP "Coal Liner" gondolas, however, I thought the UP Thrall gons were the only coal gon's used on the Kaiser coal train? I have only the Athearn cars but I was curious if anyone knew about the ER cars. Are they fantasy paint schemes or accurate for the FMC 4000 gons?

[curtmc]

Fantasy...

I believe the FMC 4000 cars are correct for Public Service Co of Oklahoma, Central Power & Light, Southwest Electric Power and some secondhand owners like RTI Railway.

BN, UP and CNW paint on the cars is fantasy...

PS. That's typical for the Greenberg shows and why those who have been spoiled by the great Timoniums shows commonly skip them.

[riogrande]

Thanks for confirming what I suspected. I haven't read anything about other models of coal cars being used as the "coal liner"s were. Still it was a surprise to see the FMC 4000 painted as the Thralls were.

As for the Greenberg show, I needed a "train fix" and I had missed the June show due to family reasons. Given that I have no place for even a 4x8 right now, yes, I stoop to going to the Greenberg show disappointing as it was. My wife felt the same about it.

[drolsen]

Here's what Jim E. posted on the Modern Freight Car List back when the ExactRail model was released:

From Eric Neubauer's ebook Gunderson & FMC Railcar Production Through 1984:

PROTOTYPE DEMO CAR
FMLX 1776 1 FMC -76 E-1776

CENTRAL POWER & LIGHT Coleto Creek, TX, red-orange ends
CCTX 1344-1388 45 FMC 9-84 LOT ? 4-RIB ENDS

PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF OKLAHOMA, mint green ends
OPSX 500011-500020 2 FMC 3-79 17814 DBL ROTARY, 5-RIB ENDS
OPSX 500038-500062 4 FMC 6-79 18037 DBL ROTARY, 5-RIB ENDS
OPSX 500071-500089 2 FMC -80 18038 DBL ROTARY, 5-RIB ENDS
OPSX 500097-501395 139 FMC 2=3-79 17800, 5-RIB ENDS
OPSX 501409-505111 372 FMC 6=8-79 18021, 5-RIB ENDS
OPSX 505129-507261 215 FMC 4-79 18022, 5-RIB ENDS
OPSX 507270-507474 21 FMC 10=11-84 LOT ? 4-RIB ENDS, HIGHER SIDE SEAM

SOUTHWEST ELECTRIC POWER, red-orange ends
SEPX 115860-116777 92 FMC 8=9-84 LOT ? 4-RIB ENDS
SEPX 116785-116947 17 FMC 11=12-84 LOT ? 4-RIB ENDS, HIGHER SIDE SEAM

RTIX 400s EX-OPSX 501409-505111 Railroad Services
SEPX 1344-1388 EX-CCTX 1344-1388

Last digit of OPSX and SEPX car number is a check digit.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are some more secondhand cars out there, maybe in scrap service like a lot of older coal gons, but these should still have some life left in them.

Dave

[riogrande]

Great information Dave!

As usual, let the buyer beware. As much as I like ExactRail, I still have to do my homework so thanks for providing some data to evaluate these gon's with.

From the list that Jim Eager provided above, it looks like Rio Grande modelers would be interested in the CCTX as the Coleto Creek TX coal train rain. From the July 1994 issue of Trains Magazine:

"The largest non-Colorado power customer is Central Power & Light's Coleto Creek plant near Corpus Christi, Texas. Three 105-car trains cycle between Coleto Creek and the Colowyo or Empire Mines as well as two mines east of Grand Junction on Rio Grande's North Fork Branch on a seven -day turnaround schedule, via BN at Pueblo.

Other customers are Northern Indiana Public Service at Wheatfield, Ind. via CP Rail Systems's Soo LIne at Kansas City, and Central Illinois Public Serice at Lis, Ill., via Illinois Central at St. Louis."

So these ER cars would be candidates for modeling the Coleto Creek train. Incidentally, from the quote out of that article, the Northern Indiana train is coal train I believe uses the NORX cars that Athearn produced in the yellow end paint scheme. I managed to find a couple more 5-packs of those recently as I only had the 3 original numbered since they were first offered and 15 cars isn't much for a unit train!

Hopefully ER will offer the CCTX cars, but my wallet won't like that!

[atsfan]

Beginning in the 1970s, the output of Western coal production became significant. With this increase in output, the demand for rotary coal-type gondolas increased as well.
Nearly all of the car manufacturers of the time, such as FMC, Pullman-Standard, Evans, Ortner and Greenville, introduced competitive rotary coal gondolas in a market already
dominated by Thrall. Billed as "A rugged, high-mileage coal car for unit-train operation with rotary dumping service," FMC's 4000 Coal Gondola was successful among utility companies of the mid-west. The Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Central Power & Light Company, and Southwestern Electric Power Company were clients of FMC, and since that time, these cars have passed into the second-ownership of companies like RTI Railway Services. Today, the FMC Gondola, and the similar gondolas of other manufacturers, are used in scrap and tie replacement services everywhere.

ExactRail is pleased to offer the all-new FMC 4000 High Side Gondola! Available in 6 paint schemes and undecorated kits, the FMC 4000 High Side Gondola is now available

•Precision micro-tooled!
•Designed, engineered and tooled in the United States!
•Factory installed Kadee No.5 coupler
•Narrow-style draft box, featuring: shank wedges, striker casting and full nut and bolt detail.
•ExactRail's exclusive ASF 100 ton 'Ride Control' trucks
•CNC-machined metal wheel sets with all new metal axles!
•Razor sharp painting and printing

[atsfan]

There sometimes are some finds at a Greenberg show in terms of books, DVD's, etc. Not that great for simple HO scale train cars and engines.

They are good shows for families and kids.

Some dealers actually do the tour driving all over the place. Some have the same stuff year after year.

[riogrande]

I do hope ExactRail offers the CCTX version of their car - the only down side is it will be direct purchase only as is all the future stuff from ER.

atsfan, yes, even though the Greenberg show was sparse on HO stuff and heavily weighted toward O-27 and tinplate, there is always the treasure hunt aspect. I picked up a few items there, two were ER cars on my wish list at minor discount prices (Greenvill DT&I 60' auto box car and 50' Southern waffle). I'm also trying to fill in from the Athearn RTR trailers I missed and found a 2-pack of Santa Fe 40' exterior post trailers, and I also missed out on the Atlas 60' ACF Cotton Belt box cars and found one of those. Next show probably will be Timonium in October.