Athearn ATH81059 HO ACF 2970 Covered Hopper, Burlington Northern #435534

Athearn HO ACF 2970 Covered Hopper, Burlington Northern #435534

Athearn Item #: ATH81059

MODEL FEATURES:

• Round or trough hatches
• Photo-etched metal roof walk
• Separately applied wire grab irons, stirrup steps and brake wheel
• Detailed outlets
• Separate brake cylinder, valve and air reservoir with wire brake plumbing
• Screw-mounted express-type trucks
• 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 2-bay covered hopper first entered service in the 1950s. The cars handle loads such as cement, sand and similar denser bulk commodities.

In the 1960s, American Car and Foundry introduced the Centerflow design. The car’s rounded body provided structural strength without the added weight of bracing, as well as making gravity unloading easier. This 2-bay car came in a 2,970-cubic foot capacity.