InterMountain - 67059-04 - Covered Hopper, 3-Bay, ACF 4650 - Iowa Chicago & Eastern - 51086

Specific Item Information: BLT : 6-79

Model Information: This model from InterMountain features Micro-Trains trucks with truck-mounted MTL couplers. Etched metal walkways, sharp printing, and excellent detail including seprately applied hoses on the underframe as well as separately applued roof hatches. Unlike the similar Micro-Trains model, the roof hatches do not open. The InterMountain model has superior detail under the bays, though the MTL model is still quite good. Both have the bay releases as separately applied (as opposed to molded) detail parts. The end detail on the IM model also is superior showing hoses from the barrel (to the brake system?).

Prototype History: Production of the 4650-cubic foot 3-bay cars began in 1964. ACF built 2504 examples at Huntington, WV, between 1964 and 1972. The ACF 4650 c.f. 3-bay hopper was the same height and width as the 5250 c.f. 4-bay car but several feet shorter in length (and only had 3 bays!). Some railroads that were not concerned about having the larger plate C clearance 4650cf cars (which could not be used on all branchlines or at all loading facilities) opted for large fleets of 4650cf cars instead of 4600cf. UP and SP were two such railroads (all of the current UP 4600cf cars came from either MP or C&NW heritage).

Hatches: 6 30", 6 20", 3 pressed steel elongated (SP, SSW, 3 piece pressed steel continuous or 4 piece FRP continuous. Outlets: Several types of bolted or welded on outlets are used. Uses: Grain, soda ash, platic pellets. Trucks: 77 ton friction or roller bearing. 86 had 100 ton roller bearing.

Road Name History: The IC&E first appeared in 2002 when Washington Corp and Canadian Pacific sold the I&M Rail Link to a subsidiary of the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern. Like its predecessor, the 1,385 mile line was Y shaped with Chicago at the base, Kansas City on the southwestern leg and the Twin Cities on the northwestern leg. There were also 7 major branches, mostly on the northwestern leg in Iowa.

The 83 unit IC&E diesel fleet consisted of: 7 GP9’s 10 GP40-2’s 3 SD40-3’s 63 SD40-2’s

The official paint scheme was the same blue and yellow used on parent DM&E but with the IC&E name on the hood.

Where I&M Rail Link had earned less than stellar income from these lines, the Iowa Chicago & Eastern was quite successful. Parent DM&E began making noises about building into the Powder River Basin. This got the attention of Canadian Pacific who in 2007, offered to buy the DM&E and the IC&E. In 2008, the acquisition was approved. Later that year, with both lines now subsidiaries of Canadian Pacific, the Iowa Chicago & Eastern was merged into the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern. As you may remember, IC&E predecessor I&M Rail Link started as a spin-off of Canadian Pacific. So CP bought lines in 2008 at a premium price that it was happy to be rid of eleven years before.

Brand/Importer Information: InterMountain was founded in 1985 by Fred Brummet. They got started in the model railroad business by producing O-Scale model kits. They got started in the N Scale business almost a decade later when in 1994 they introduced the 40-23 reefer car in kit form. Later, in 1998, they started producing RTR (Ready-to-Run) models. By the early 2000s, InterMountain phased out kit production in favor of the RTR models.

The InterMountain Railway company is located at 1224 Boston Ave in Longmont, CO. They are a manufacturer of HO, N and Z scale model trains. They have produced kits as well as RTR (Ready-To-Run) models. Their N Scale products include locomotives as well as rolling stock. Their rolling stock lineup includes Boxcars, Hoppers, Tank Cars, Reefers, Gondolas, Stock Cars and Flatcars.

Their locomotive releases have primarily been diesel units, with the one major exception being their series of AC-12 Cab Forward steam locos. Their diesel lineup includes F3's, F7's, F9's, SD40's, SD45's and FT units. They are known for quality and detail. They also release their rolling stock in larger varieties of road numbers than most of the other manufacturers.