PROTOTYPE HISTORY:

In the late 1970s, the dire condition of many railroads’ gondola fleet was becoming apparent. Freight cars from the ‘40s and ‘50s were failing under the heavier loads and rough handling the gondolas typically endured. The TTX corporation stepped in to produce a system-wide pooled gondola service, ordering a fleet of 4000 new gondolas to be produces by five manufacturers. While the Athearn model is based on the Thrall-built version, all five are visually similar except for small details that require a trained eye to spot. Designers had identified the weaknesses of earlier gondola design, adding reinforced top cords with bolted corners, additional plate steel reinforcement to the ends, and bolting the exterior posts to the floor instead of welding; all features that allowed the gondolas to sustain rougher handling…and they needed it. The new paint smell didn’t last long. While other freight cars that looked the way these gondolas did would be retired, the engineers had done a commendable job at keeping these cars safe to operate even in a deformed condition. At over 40 years old, these cars are still circulating on railroads today, beaten, patched, dirtied, but not forgotten.

MODEL FEATURES:

• Deformed body; hog-backed and bowed representing real-life abuse. Very few right angles exist on the model
• Bulged and dented body panels on the inside and out
• While the body and interior are bent, the trucks and couplers remain straight and true to NMRA standards.
• Improved and additional underbody details Athearn hasn’t offered on the standard version of this gondola; brake rigging, air lines, and control systems can all be seen hanging below the gondola with separately applied details
• Etched brake wheel platform
• Separately applied bent wire grab irons, brake housing, and end reinforcement
• Weighted for trouble-free operation
• Body-mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers
• Machined metal wheels and RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
• Weighted for optimum performance
• Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”

Introducing the CarKnocker line from Athearn!

A brand-new product line and a brand-new approach to realistic modeling; Athearn CarKnocker introduces a factory produced distressed and worn plastic model. Based on the popularity of Athearn’s Primed for Grime line of pre-faded and dirtied paint decoration, Athearn has taken this concept one step further by creating deformed and dented models that retain Athearn’s operating performance standards. More exciting models are coming to the industry leading Athearn CarKnocker product line.

CARKNOCKER MODELS FEATURE

• Tooling specifically created to capture realistic visual imperfection in everyday railroading
• Deformed body panels, bent underframes, uneven surfaces / damage as appropriate
• While the body and interior are deformed, the trucks and couplers remain straight and true to NMRA standards

PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE

• Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment
• Faded base colors matched to the prototype
• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust

Order Due Date: March 28, 2025

Anticipated Delivery Date: November 2026

Looking for more Athearn Gondolas? Click here!