Athearn trains HO scale spine car

A highly detailed 57-foot three-unit all-purpose spine car with die-cast metal spines, etched-metal end platforms, and separately applied brake detail is now available from Athearn. The Ready-to-Roll car, based on the prototype produced by Trinity, is decorated for TTX Co. and is available in six road numbers and painted but unlettered.

Prototype history. The Athearn model is based on cars in the TTX RAF30A class (TTRX 360817-361116). These spine cars entered service in the late 1990s and are still used today.

Though the spine car consists of three units, it’s considered one car. The units are assembled in a B-C-A configuration; the B unit is the one with the hand brake. The model’s dimensions closely match data published in the Official Railway Equipment Register (R.E.R. Publishing Corp., January 2007).

It’s in the details. What really makes Athearn’s new three-unit spine car stand out are the details. For example, the model has a separately applied air reservoir and triple valve with freestanding wire air pipes, see-through etched-metal end platforms, and etched-brass kick plates by the trailer hitches. See the photo below.

Modeler-installed trailer hitches (raised and lowered), container pegs and shoes, and container shoe covers are also included. A list of the parts needed to configure the units to haul containers (one 40- through 53-footer) and trailers (two 28-footers or one 40- through 53-footer) is printed on the back of the exploded-view diagram. The trailer hitches are assembled and press fit into factory-drilled holes. The container shoes and pegs have to be assembled and need to be glued in place. The pegs are small, so make sure they don’t fly away when you cut them from the sprue.

Though the spine on each unit is die-cast metal, the crossbearers and decks are plastic. The deck has a textured pattern like the prototype, and there are two openings (one on each side of the spine) for installing either the container shoe and peg or a container shoe cover.

The three-unit car weighs 9.8 ounces. I pushed and pulled the empty car through a series of no. 5 turnouts on our Wisconsin & Southern project layout without a single derailment. Weighted containers or trailers could be used to add a few ounces to each unit.

Our sample has 70-ton trucks with correctly gauged scale 33″ metal wheelsets mounted on plastic axles. The car uses body-mounted McHenry scale lower-shelf knuckle couplers with springs. They’re mounted at the correct height.

The paint on the model is smooth and evenly applied, which is no easy task with yellow. The printing is crisp, and even the smallest lettering is clearly legible under magnification.

A winner. The Athearn 57-foot all-purpose spine car is an excellent model with some of the best detailing I’ve seen on a ready-to-run model. The ability to set up this car for container or trailer service is a nice touch, too. The Athearn spine car has raised the bar on intermodal models. A string of these well-proportioned cars will look great on a modern-era layout.

Athearn HO scale spine car
Price: $79.98
Manufacturer
Athearn Trains
1550 Glenn Curtiss St.
Carson, CA 90746
www.athearn.com
Road name: TTX (six road numbers). Painted yellow but unlettered also available.

HO spine car features
33″ metal wheelsets with RP-25 countour, correctly gauges
Die-cast metal spine
Etched-metal running boards
McHenry scale knuckle couplers with springs, mounted at correct height
Modeler-installed container shoes and pegs, container shoe covers, and trailer hitches
Plastic crossbearers, decks, and ladders
Separtately applies brake piping
Weight: 9.8 ounces (three units)