Tangent - 80028-02 - Open Hopper, 4-Bay Bethlehem 3600 - HELM Financial - 38105

Specific Item Information: HLMX “Ex-UP H-100-17” shows a car after acquisition by Helm Financial Corporation. HLMX reporting marks started to show up on a portion of the H-100-17 fleet starting in 2007. The model features a weathered black paint job with fresh black patches and yellow conspicuity stripes. Available in 2 accurate numbers! These distinctive 100 ton quad hoppers match the Union Pacific specification and were built by Bethlehem Steel in the 1970s. Our UP replicas represent more than 6,900 “quad” hoppers, UP’s largest fleet of coal hoppers in company history.

Model Information: Tangent introduced these cars in September of 2018. It was their very first forray into N Scale. These distinctive 100-ton quad hoppers match the Union Pacific specification and were built by Bethlehem Steel in the 1970s. The Tangent UP replicas represent more than 6,400 “quad” hoppers, UP’s largest fleet of coal hoppers in company history.

The Tangent Scale Models prototype replica of the Union Pacific Bethlehem design quad hopper has never been produced in N scale, making it a distinctive addition to any freight car fleet. Our stunning N Scale Quad Hopper model is loaded with detail. We set out to produce an N Scale car that is worthy of the Tangent brand, bringing as much of our industry-leading HO Scale execution and detail as possible packed in an N Scale box.

Prototype History: These cars represent UP’s largest fleet of coal hoppers in company history. First produced in 1974 by Bethlehem Steel as UP class H-100-10, production of a majority of the fleet occurred in UP’s Albina Shops in Portland OR between 1976 and 1981. Production of this important fleet ended with the H-100-23 class, after UP placed more than 6,400 of these “quad” hoppers in service in the rapidly-growing Western low-sulfur coal market. These cars became the workhorses of the UP coal fleet, serving coal originations in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and the PowderRiver Basin, and sometimes on non-UP coal originations such as DRGW, Utah, and Wyoming & Colorado (former UP branchline). The DRGW origins became part of Union Pacific in 1996, and to this day these mines continue to load these UP quad hoppers!UP’s quad hoppers wandered both systemwide and to offline railroads as customers sourced coal from a variety of origins.

A sample destination to the west that received coal in these hoppers was Southern California’s Kaiser Steel located in FontanaCA, as well as the bulk export terminal at San Pedro. Trains of quad hoppers for these customers operated over CajonPass with various motive power groupings, most notably mixed DRGW and UP power (plus helpers). A few sample eastern gateways in early years were the Commonwealth Edison Co. power plants at Waukegan IL and Hammond IN, Kansas City Power & Light at Kansas City MO, Illinois Central destinations for TVA in Kentucky, not to mention Eastern and Midwestern carriers both in carload (sourced for cement and other production purposes) and unit train services. These quad hoppers continue to serve, operating to customers without dedicated bank-owned coal sets, as well as services literally anywhere when customers in North America want to increase coal deliveries from UP sources. Finally, the quad hoppers have been spotted in non-coal services such as miscellaneous aggregates, coke, and sugar beet services.On this page we have included an updated gallery of prototype photos to show you some of the major paint schemes in service, a free service from Tangent Scale Models. We believe that an educated customer is a happy customer. All images below can be enlarged.

Road Name History: HELM Financial Corporation provides operating leases of freight railcars and locomotives to railroads and shippers throughout North America. Additionally, HELM services the international rail marketplace through the sale and export of North American rolling stock and motive power. Their subsidiary, HELM Rail Equipment Services, supplies locomotive parts and components, diesel engines and diesel power parts to a wide range of rail, marine and industrial markets.

HELM Financial Corporation was the largest independent locomotive and railcar operating leasing company in North America. With a fleet of 850 locomotives and 22,000 railcars, HELM was well equipped to supply their customers with the broad range of rail equipment they require.

HELM Financial Corp. was acquired by First Union Rail, a Wells Fargo Company in April 2014. First Union Rail is a full service rail leasing company offering rail cars and locomotives for lease. First Union Rail operates one of the largest and most diverse rail equipment leasing companies in North America. It offers all types of general purpose freight cars, tank cars, switcher locomotives, 4 axle and 6 axle locomotives to the marketplace. The company is based in Rosemont, IL, with offices throughout the United States and in Montreal and Calgary, Canada,

Brand/Importer Information: Since 2007, we have created an innovative product line that provides the next generation of scale railroad freight car models, covering all eras from 1917 to the present. While other brands are good at producing locomotives – both steam and diesel – we believe “it’s time to pay attention to the train.” This means your freight cars! We believe freight cars are equally important to your locomotives, and anyone who already has our cars will tell you that our passion for cars shows with every car and paint scheme replica we produce.

Simply put, we offer a balanced and growing product line of high-quality, well-researched, and smartly-executed freight cars that you can always count on to fill needed gaps in your fleet, as well as replace outdated models. When we announce a car, it is for sale immediately. We do not pre-announce our products or have cutesy blogs. We are serious about producing unmatched models. Finally, our customer experience is second to none. We take care of you, our customers, and we won’t let you down.