Dear HO Scale Customers;

 

Athearn Genesis has announced the F89-F TOFC Flat Cars

 

PROTOTYPE HISTORY:

Introduced in the early 1960s, the Trailer Train (now TTX Company) F89F flatcar has been a mainstay of contemporary railroading. A product of Bethlehem Steel Company’s (BSC) Johnstown, PA plant, over 9,000 of these (89’ 8” over the strikers) cars were built throughout the 1960s. Visually distinctive from other long flatcars of their era thanks to their “C” channel side sills, these versatile cars were adapted for many types of service and loadings over the years, ranging from Trailer-On-Flatcar (TOFC), to autoracks, to structural steel loading. While the majority went to Trailer Train, many were built for various railroads, typically for autorack service. Many were “de-racked” in later years, being reassigned and equipped for other service - TOFC, vehicle loading, pipe service, etc.

It wasn’t unusual for these cars to see several different loading configurations throughout their careers, in order to meet the changing needs of shippers. In service with Trailer Train, the three or four-letter reporting marks indicated the cars’ intended service and corresponding equipment. For example, an “XTTX” car was equipped with four collapsible hitches, capable of carrying various combinations of 28’, 40’, or 45’ trailers. A car in the “RTTX” configuration featured a pair of fixed hitches at the ends, and a retractable hitch amidships, allowing it to carry a pair of long (up to 45’) trailers back-to-back, or three 28’ “pup” trailers.

This Athearn Genesis model was designed from the start to incorporate as many prototype details and variations as possible, based upon field measurements and builder diagrams, in order to appeal to modelers of multiple eras. Many new hitches, body variants, and other separate details were created, allowing us to accurately offer these cars in their different configurations over the years, from four-hitch “XTTX” cars, to the distinctive drawbar-connected “TTEX” Triple-57 “Long Runner” bulge-deck conversions introduced in 1987. And you can rest assured of its smooth performance, thanks to a heavy die-cast frame for reliable tracking, and our famed Genesis 70-ton ASF Ride-Control trucks with spinning bearing cap details, and .110” tread metal wheels.

Operationally, these cars are appropriate for any layout set from the 1960s to the present day. In TOFC service, F89Fs could be found mixed into manifest trains, or as part of dedicated TOFC trains. It also wasn’t uncommon to find them mixed into stack trains, alongside such cars as Gunderson Maxi-Is or Maxi-IIIs, which are also available from Athearn. The new F89F also goes great with Athearn’s extensive line of 40’, 45’, and 53’ trailers, not to mention our various 20’, 40’, 45’, 48’, and 53’ containers mounted on chassis, all of which are available in many different paint schemes to appeal to modelers of all eras.

 

F89-F89’8” TOFC Flat MODEL FEATURES:

• Raised and lowered hitches included

• Wire formed brake plumbing

• 70-Ton roller bearing trucks with animated rotating bearing caps installed

• Machined metal wheels with RP25 contours

• Weighted for optimum performance

• Decorated models fully-assembled and ready to run out of the box

• Minimum radius: 22”—Recommended radius: 24”+

• Die-cast underframe

• Detailed deck

• Separately applied brake ratchet, wire grab irons and ladders

• Body-mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers

• Use for dedicated intermodal trains or mixed freight

• Highly-detailed, injection-molded body

 

40’ FRUEHAUF Z-VAN TRAILER MODEL FEATURES:

• Separately applied mud flaps

• Wheeled or shoe-style landing gear per prototype

• Fully-assembled and ready to use out of the box

• Painted and printed for realistic decoration

• Rubber tires

• 2 or 4 door rods per prototype

• Highly-detailed, injection-molded body

 

 

 

 

 

Building on a rich tradition started in 1946, the Athearn brand is home to the hobby’s best-loved models. Athearn has brought the joy of model railroading to you for 75 years, starting from our classic ‘Blue-Box” kits to our most recent Genesis 2.0 line. With accurate detailing and painting, Athearn is the brand that any hobbyist is proud to own and operate. No matter your era or favorite railroad, Athearn truly is “Trains in Miniature.”

 

 

 

Order Due Date: December 31, 2021

Anticipated Delivery Date: February 2023

 

Looking for more Athearn Flat Cars? Click here!

---