Athearn's 40ft flat car
Athearn's
40 foot flat car...
There are next to no completely accurate flat cars out
on the market. But, since we need to have some on our pike, we should
buy a decent stand in. Athearn's 40 ft flat car is a good stand in.
You should pay between $5-6 for one. I got mine decorated for the
C&O. It has the old style Roman lettering and should be weathered
heavily. 40ft flat cars were some of the older cars on the railroad.
This kit is only 70% accurate or so, but for such a little car that noone
ever notices, it is acceptable.
Below is a real pic of a flat car. It is a 40ft
flat that has had end attached.
Dean Heacock photo
The assembly is very easy for a flat car. The big
thing you need to do is weather the top. The sides are so small no
one will see them. The Athearn kit did not come with the consolidated
stencil decal, I added that, just like the one in the photo. I also
painted over the original capacity numbers and added new white decals with
numbers in the newer block type font. The numbers above "KE" in "Chesepeake"
is what I am referring to. This was a typical look for an old car
that had been reweighed after an overhaul. The stakes around the
side just give it more interest than a plain flat car.
