Athearn 81604 – Bethgon Coalporter W/Load Union Pacific (UP) 5 Pack #1 – HO Scale

MODEL FEATURES:

• Newly Re-tooled Body
• Separate wire form grab irons, etched metal coupler platforms
• Separately applied brake wheel
• Multiple road numbers
• 36” machined metal wheels with RP25 contours
• Weighted for optimum performance
• Body-mounted McHenry® operating scale knuckle couplers
• Highly-detailed, injection-molded body
• Painted and printed for realistic decoration
• Minimum radius: 18”

PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:

The Coalporter was developed in an effort to create a higher-capacity, more efficient coal car. Built by Bethlehem Steel’s Johnstown American Corporation, the BethGon features all-aluminum construction and a unique trough-style bottom for added carrying capacity.

This ‘Bathtub’ design increased the cubic capacity of the car and gave the added advantage of a lower center of gravity for better tracking. Coalporters generally operate in solid unit trains. One end of each car is equipped with a rotary coupler, to allow a train to be fed through a rotary unloader without uncoupling the cars.