Athearn Trains HO scale insulated boxcar

This Athearn 50-foot insulated boxcar is based on a prototype built by Pacific Car & Foundry in the mid-1960s. The Genesis series car features a high level of detail, including trucks with rotating bearing caps, separately applied door hardware and uncoupling levers, and etched-metal crossover platforms. The Western Fruit Express cars have separately applied air vents.

The prototype. Car no. 200012 is part of the 200000-200074 series of GN insulated RBL boxcars (bunklerless refrigerator cars with load-restraining devices). The full-size cars were built in 1965 and hauled temperature-sensitive materials, canned goods, and perishables.

As built, these GN RBLs had the brake wheel mounted high on the B end, eight-rung ladders on the right side and left end, and running boards (the latter were removed as early as August 1969 on some cars). The Athearn car has the brake wheel mounted low and no running boards, features that didn’t become standard on new cars until 1966.

Great Northern’s RBLs became part of the Burlington Northern’s fleet after 1970. Some cars served into the 1990s.

The model. Our sample is decorated for GN and features smooth, evenly applied Glacier Green paint. The white lettering is opaque and all of the printing is crisp and legible. The three-color GN herald is in register and correctly sized at 42″.

The model’s dimensions follow those in The Official Railway Equipment Register from January 1966. I ran the boxcar through no. 5 turnouts on our Wisconsin & Southern layout without incident.

The model has a one-piece injection-molded plastic body with a separate 15-panel roof. The weld seams and rivets are crisp, and the wood grain detail on the placard boards is a nice touch.

The floor is also one piece with a separate underframe. Some of the underbody details include a slack adjuster, brake rod, triple valve reservoir, and Hydra-Cushion cylinder.

Though the Athearn Genesis insulated boxcar has a few detail discrepancies, it’s still a fine looking model. The well-proportioned boxcar has a high level of detail that will make it a standout in your freight car fleet.

Price: $37.98

Manufacturer
Athearn Trains
2883 E. Spring St., Ste. 100
Long Beach, CA 90806
www.athearn.com

Road names: Great Northern, Burlington Northern, and Western Fruit Express (GN or BN heralds). Three road numbers per scheme. Undecorated also available.

Era: 1965 to mid-1990s

Features:

• 70-ton roller-bearing trucks
• Correctly gauged metal wheelsets mounted on plastic axles
• McHenry knuckle couplers with springs, mounted at correct height
• Underbody brake detail
• Weight: 4.7 ounces, .2 ounces heavy based on National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1