Tangent - HO Scale - General American 4180 Airslide Covered Hopper - Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) #808176 - “Buffer Car” #6 Scheme (SKU 20009-16035-01)
Available On: August 1, 2018
General American Transportation Corporation produced more than 5,000 of these 4180 cubic foot Airslide covered hoppers between 1963 and 1980 as a response to customer demand for larger covered hoppers capable of handling bulk commodities. These very common cars continued General American’s “Airslide” family innovations from the 1950s, and proved valuable to bulk shippers who wanted a larger car than the earlier-design 2600 cubic foot cars provided.
The Tangent Scale Models GA 4180 Airslide covered hopper is similar to previous Tangent releases with a consistent focus on phase variations that mirror prototype build changes over time. For this car, there are three very different variations of the carbody and associated details to replicate cars built between 1965 and 1980. While all 4180 airslides may look the same at first glance, they are not.
BNSF “Buffer Car” #6 (Car #808176) is Tangent’s sixth BNSF Buffer car in the series. This time, one of the former 1974-built BN Green cars was patched for the present day. The lettering tells a story – from the car’s 1985 repaint into its second coat of BN green, to its Polyclutch relining by Metro East Industries in 1996, and now today’s use in BNSF Buffer car service. This car is all about the layers of lettering.
Features: