Tag Archives: atlas

Upgrading an Atlas Trainman Coal Hopper

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Upgrading Atlas Trainman Hopper - Finished

These days, you can find some really nice, super-detailed, ready-to-run HO scale coal hoppers from the likes of Tangent, Kadee, ExactRail, and others. While these models are beautiful, creating an entire coal train can really break the bank, and there are just some hopper prototypes that are only modeled in a lower level of detail. In either case, it’s not too difficult to bring these cheaper plastic kits closer to the detail level of a more expensive brand, and it doesn’t have to be super time-consuming. One of my favorite starting points is the relatively cheap and readily available “Atlas Trainman” ready-to-run hoppers, especially the 9-panel, 70-ton car that’s pretty close to the Southern’s 70-ton fleet I model. There’s a … Read more →

Weathering an Old Coal Hopper

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MON 50T hoppers HO scale

(Note: for a more complete, step-by-step process, read ARRM’s more recent article on weathering coal hoppers as well)

Coal hoppers endure some heavy use and exposure to the elements. The loading process and constant scraping of coal on the slope sheets and sides during unloading quickly wears these cars down and produces some neat weathering that begs to be modeled. Younger steel cars tend to show bare metal slick spots, especially on the slope sheets. These metal spots tend to show a bit of rust around the edges, but over time, the whole interior can turn to rust that continually regenerates through the loading and unloading process. Here’s my process for detailing and weathering old “rust bucket” hoppers using a … Read more →