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Athearn - 27419 - Covered Hopper, 3-Bay, PS-2-CD 4427 - GE Capital Rail Services - 7223

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N Scale - Athearn - 27419 - Covered Hopper, 3-Bay, PS-2-CD 4427 - GE Capital Rail Services - 7223
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Stock Number27419
Original Retail Price$28.98
BrandAthearn
ManufacturerAthearn
Body StyleAthearn Covered Hopper 3-Bay PS-2 4427
Prototype VehicleCovered Hopper, 3-Bay, PS-2-CD 4427 (Details)
Road or Company NameGE Capital Rail Services (Details)
Reporting MarksTLDX
Road or Reporting Number7223
Paint Color(s)Grey
Print Color(s)Black
Paint SchemeHarmon Grain
Coupler TypeMcHenry Magnetic Knuckle
Coupler MountBody-Mount
Wheel TypeChemically Blackened Metal
Wheel ProfileStandard
Release Date2020-09-01
Item CategoryRolling Stock (Freight)
Model TypeCovered Hopper
Model Subtype3-Bay
Model VarietyPS-2 CD 4427
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era IV: 2nd Gen Diesel (1958 - 1978)
Years Produced1963-1970's
Scale1/160



Model Information: Pullman-Standard dominated the covered hopper car market beginning in the 1950s, thanks to the design success of their PS-2 series of covered hoppers. In 1964 the 4427 cubic foot capacity covered hoppers were introduced. PS responded to increasing demand for efficiency by the railroads and shippers alike, carrying more per trip then the 40’ boxcars with the signode grain door. Designed to carry bulk commodities, such as grain, these cars roamed the rails of North America for decades, attesting to their utilitarian functionality. These cars can still be seen today in service.
Prototype History:
Valued for its large capacity, roof trough hatches, and center discharge gates, the 4427 PS-2 CD High-Side Covered Hopper was a favorite for hauling grain. These large hoppers could be found across the continent hauling grain and other medium-density loads beginning in the 1960s, often in multi-car cuts or unit trains. Many are still seen in service during the fall harvest, 30 years after their construction.

Even with Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Company's passenger car designs and patents spun off to a separate company called Pullman Technology in 1982 (which was eventually sold to Canadian based Bombardier in 1987) and Pullman Standard's remaining railcar manufacturing plants and freight car designs and patents sold to Trinity Industries in 1984, American manufactured Pullman freight and passenger cars were (and to this point in time still are) well known in North America.

When it came to hauling dry bulk goods such as agricultural commodities, cement, clay, dry chemicals, salt, or sand. many railroads and private owners selected the Pullman Standard PS-2 series covered hopper.
Utilized to transport dense and heavy granular products like cement, clay, potash, and sand, due to North American axle weight load limits, two (and later) three bay models were often chosen.
When it came to hauling much lighter commodities such as barley, corn, grain, malt, oats, soybeans, sugar, and wheat, these kinds of products would most commonly be transported in three or four bay covered hoppers.
Unlike two bay models, large four bay cars lend themselves to rapid load and discharge operations.

While there are a wide range of products covered by the PS-2 designation, it was Pullman's 4427 cubic foot capacity covered hopper that stood out as being the first of the larger capacity models to be manufactured in greater numbers.
Introduced as the PS-2CD (center discharge) in late 1963, the early production "low hip" design 4427 cubic foot capacity cars had low body sides, which concealed most of the hopper bay area.
The manufacturing of "high hip" design raised side 4427 models commenced in November 1966.
Over 19,300 PS2-CD 4,427 cars were produced.

Visibly apparent are a few different body style variations.
With the latter style being the most popular choice, the top of the covered hoppers could be fitted with large trough style openings, or, a series of round ones.
With the latter position being most common, brake wheels could be positioned high up on the body end, or, low mounted.
Road Name History:
GE Capital Rail Services, also known as GE Railcar, or GE Railcar Services Corporation was a business unit of GE Capital, a division of General Electric. It is a distinct business unit from General Electric's railway locomotive manufacturer.
GE Rail Services offers leases and manages railcars (railway wagons) for the North American market; its product range includes all types of common freight wagon including box, flat, covered and uncovered hopper (gondola), and tank wagons. The company also manages service and repair of wagons.
In 1997, ACF (reporting marks: ACFX) reached leasing agreement with GE Capital Railcar for 35000 of its 46000 railcars, mostly on 16 year leases with optional purchase agreements.

In 2015 GE Capital announced the sale of its tank car and services business to Marmon Holdings, and the remainder of the business (other wagons, locos) to First Union Rail.

From Wikipedia
Brand/Importer Information:
Athearn's history began in 1938, when its founder-to-be, Irvin Athearn, started an elaborate O scale layout in his mother's house. After placing an ad selling the layout, and receiving much response to it, Irv decided that selling model railroads would be a good living. He sold train products out of his mother's house through most of the 1940s. After becoming a full-time retailer in 1946, Irv opened a separate facility in Hawthorne, California in 1948, and that same year he branched into HO scale models for the first time.

Athearn acquired the Globe Models product line and improved upon it, introducing a comprehensive array of locomotive, passenger and freight car models. Improvements included all-wheel drive and electrical contact. One innovation was the "Hi-Fi" drive mechanism, employing small rubber bands to transfer motion from the motor spindle to the axles. Another was the double-ended ring magnet motor, which permitted easy connection to all-wheel-drive assemblies. Athearn was also able to incorporate flywheels into double-ended drives.

The company produced a model of the Boston & Maine P4 class Pacific steam locomotive which incorporated a cast zinc alloy base and thermoplastic resin superstructure. It had a worm drive and all power pickup was through the bipolar trucks that carried the tender. This item was discontinued after the Wilson motor was no longer available, and was not redesigned for a more technologically advanced motor.

Athearn's car fleet included shorter-than-scale interpretations of passenger cars of Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad prototypes. The company also offered a variety of scale-length freight cars with sprung and equalized trucks. The cars could be obtained in simple kit form, or ready-to-run in windowed display boxes. The comprehensive scope of the product line contributed to the popularity of HO as a model railroad scale, due to the ready availability of items and their low cost.

Irv Athearn died in 1991. New owners took control in 1994, but continued to follow Athearn's commitment to high-quality products at reasonable prices. Athearn was bought in 2004 by Horizon Hobby. Athearn was then moved from its facility in Compton to a new facility in Carson, California. In mid-2009, all remaining US production was moved to China and warehousing moved to parent Horizon Hobby. Sales and product development was relocated to a smaller facility in Long Beach, California.

Read more on Wikipedia and Athearn website.
Item created by: CNW400 on 2020-08-28 16:47:24. Last edited by Alain LM on 2022-08-20 04:56:07

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