I think you'll like them. We made some small changes from the test shot you saw (added a bit more weight and a bolster pad to stabilize the truck)
Mine arrive on Friday... Sorry, couldn't resist Seriously, anybody know when loads will become available? Brian
The first three versions of Hay Brothers loads for these cars are ready. The pictures were supposed to have been loaded on the forums and the HAY BROTHERS website this past Sunday. But seeing as Murphy works weekends too...... We took a power surge in the middle of a computer system restart and so the photos, announcements and other stuff will have to wait a few days till we get things back up and running normally. Bottom Line: Look for at least 4 different regional versions of loads to be released for this car in the next 10 days or so.
Yes, I do! Wait about two weeks and we'll provide solid information on the 2nd run of these cars... Thanks for the support!
Got mine! I got my 36 Top Gons yesterday! All I can say is "SWEET"! These are a must for any NS fan! Craig filled a major gap in NS rolling stock with this product. Craig - Keep up the awesome work, in getting this hobby back on the cutting edge of design, advertisment, and technology! It's so good to see your fresh perspective! :thumbs_up::thumbs_up::thumbs_up:
Consider this an open letter to BLMA. Would you consider marketing the Top Gon and whatever cars you make in the future without trucks and couplers? In addition to those who use the Accumate couplers, there are others that prefer to use MTL trucks and couplers and there are still others who prefer to body mount couplers. Marketing the cars sans trucks/couplers has to result in a cost savings not only in the cost of the truck/coupler but there has to be a labor cost to mount the truck on the car. Just a suggestion for you to consider.
Okay, stupid question time. Why are there blow torch marks on the cars? Is it from internal repairs or is it caused by unloading? I've never seen cars like that before. Thanks, Brian
Brian, Heat is used to thaw the loads for dumping. It often rains on these trains in route to where they are going and if they are destined for a cold area the rain (now in the coal) will freeze and the car load becomes a big chunk of "black ice". The same thing used to happen up in Iron Ore country all the time....frozen ore...yummy!
The main issue was that the drain holes in the TopGons got clogged pretty quickly, so they also tended freeze up very quickly, thus making any drainage impossible, and even going through the standard infrared thawing shed wouldn't get all the coal thawed... so more extreme measures had to be taken. Eventually, they just modified the infrared shed with more tubes (more power!) and took better car to make sure the drain holes weren't clogged with coal dust...
This is coy. Just wait... Just wait... hmm, for you to remove them and replace them with something better perhaps??? Since we're flinging GEVO rumors around, can we also speculate about sprung trucks, and/or rotating bearing caps, and/or scale couplers from BLMA? That would be SWEET!
Thanks for the info guys. That makes sense now. Thought maybe we had a new type of graffiti artist on the loose.... :tb-rolleyes: Brian
