Product Review: Athearn 54' FMC Covered Hopper

Last spring I wrote an article about weathering a covered hopper. You can read that article here. Today I realized that I never did a product review of that car, so today I will do that. It is a 54' FMC Covered hopper, made by Athearn. In my article on weathering, I weathered a Union Pacific car with CAGX reporting marks, the one I am reviewing today is another one I bought recently, which is Union Pacific with DRGW reporting marks.

These cars were built in the 1970s in large numbers to haul grain. Today there are bigger grain cars on the rails, but these exterior-post cars can still be found on many trains. Union Pacific acquired these cars from DRGW. Many are still in their faded DRGW paint, but some have been repainted, keeping their DRGW reporting mark and number, which is the case with the model I have.

These models are part of Athearn's Ready-To-Roll line and they are very nice cars. They feature etched-metal walkways and all grab irons come factory applied. The paint scheme is accurate and the paint is neatly applied. All data can be read under magnification, and is correct. The conspicuity markings are all present, in an unusual pattern for this car type, but accurate for the paint scheme, making it apparent that Athearn did their research before producing these cars.

The cars ride on free-rolling trucks complete with metal wheels. The cars feature McHenry scale size knuckle couplers for added realism. The cars weighs in at 4.58 ounces, a little lighter than the NMRA recommended 4.75 ounces for this car, but this can be fixed by adding weight to the car.

Overall, this is another excellent model from Athearn. The only things I can find wrong with the car are the weight and the shiny paint job, both of which can be fixed in a matter of minutes! If you are modeling today's grain industry, a string of these cars will make a great addition to your fleet. I know I'll be buying more of them!

Manufacturer: Athearn

Price: $26.98

Available road names: Burlington Northern, BNSF, Chicago & North Western, Cotton Belt, Denver & Rio Grande Western, FURX Leasing, Union Pacific, Western Pacific, Other various carriers.