Sunday, December 19, 2010

Frisco ACF 6 Bay Cylindrical Hopper #81015


MODEL INFORMATION
Company:  Atlas O
Item #:  6333-1
Gauge:  Standard O
Trucks:  Die-Cast, Sprung
Notes:  This hopper handles the 60" and 72" mainlines just fine, but the trucks hit the car on 36" curves.  It is a large - a scale model if the couplers and trucks are converted, and it is made for easy 2-rail conversion.

PROTOTYPE INFORMATION
Car Manufacturer:  ACF
Notes:  An early design of what would become the highly successful "Center-Flow" car.  Frisco had 25 of these cars: SL-SF 81000 thru SL-SF 81024.  The cylindrical design was expensive to build.  ACF soon modified their Center-Flow design into what has become a very common covered hopper in many sizes and capacities.