A three item review today, as I don't think single freight cars really warrant a dedicated post, so they can do their normal thing here - tag along with a locomotive.
Starting off today, we have an Athearn F45, specifically Burlington Northern BN 6621.
General F45 History: based on the FP45, a Santa Fe sponsored passenger loco, the Santa Fe requested EMD build a freight version.
Essentially an SD45 with a full width "cowl" body, the F45 was not especially popular, and only the Santa Fe and Great Northern ordering the model. Santa Fe's reasoning was aesthetics, whereas the GN saw advantages in having the body fully enclosed, thus providing safer working conditions for crews in harsh winter conditions. They were built from 1968 to 1971, with 86 being produced.
Like the rest of the "45" series, they were fairly quickly phased out on the big railroads, with many going to smaller railroads, such as Montana Rail Link, Wisconsin Central, and others.
All but 2 were scrapped, one being converted into a lodge at the Izaak Walton Inn - https://izaakwaltoninn.com/ - and one being under private ownership, in unknown condition.
Specific Model History: originally ordered by the Great Northern, the GN was merged into the Burlington Northern, and 6621 was subsequently painted into BN's "Cascade Green" scheme from the factory (previous GN F45's had been painted in their "Big Sky Blue" scheme).
It was built in August of 1970, and retired in August 1985. Just 15 years!
I found no history on it after that, so presumably it was scrapped. But now it lives on a in this model...
But does the model do it justice? Read on to find out...
I'll go ahead and say I've always liked F45s, and I've always like the BN, so I jumped on this model practically the day it was released!
Front of the very nice and sturdy box.
Info on the end of the box. This of course has sound and DCC.
My first glimpse of the model.
Note the packaging - very secure, but not a struggle to unpack. Model was undamaged.
And out!
Well detailed roof.
This shot needed to be better lit, but I am slowly upgrading my photo setup.
The very comprehensive Operator's Manual and exploded diagram.
Review time...
Good:
DCC operated perfectly.
Sounds are spot on/great quality.
Build quality is top notch - nothing crooked, bent, broken, or scratched.
Paint looks really nice. No blurry edges or color bleed.
Very smooth operation.
Comprehensive owner's manual. This is actually a really important detail, as locos with little or no info on DCC/sounds are a nightmare. The Southern Atlantic is an excellent example of this, as it had NO info regarding DCC/sound settings, so I spent forever trying to find that info. Which I eventually did, but it took a long time, and the loco wasn't cheap, so that kind of thing is honestly unacceptable.
Bad:
Nothing. Yes, really.
Verdict:
I 100% recommend this model, or similar, as there are other paint schemes and railroads represented in the Athearn F45 lineup.
It's become one of my favorite models. Maybe, actually, my favorite loco I currently have, as a matter of fact. I may actually get another, in a different. railroad's livery...
Now the freight cars.
First, a Bachmann Ore Car.
Specifically Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range DMIR 71323.
I don't see ore cars around my neck of the woods, but I've always thought they looked cool, so I grabbed one. They'd typically be in a solid consist (or "unit train") of similar cars, going from mine to destinations elsewhere, but I only picked up one.
Verdict:
Very nice.
Good detail, nice paint, smooth rolling, handles nicely in a consist, and doesn't derail.
I'd definitely recommend it, and I'm sure a solid consist of these would look fantastic.
And a Rapido Tank Car.
Specifically Procor PROX 46038.
I "needed" a modern tanker, and I'm pretty familiar with Procor ones, as I see them regularly at an industry near one of our shops. So, when I saw this get released, I snapped one up.
Verdict:
Overall, it's good.
The paint is especially nice, and the detail is good, too.
Smooth rolling and handles well in a train.
However, it does, very occasionally, have an issue with switches, as in splitting the switch and trying to go down the side the points are not set to. It doesn't happen often, but enough that I watch it particularly close when it nears a switch.
Otherwise, I recommend it.
Thats's it for today, I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for looking!
