Grain and grain products are one of the leading commodities hauled by railroads today. Typically carried in covered hoppers, designs have evolved over the years to increase the efficiency of handling this vital commodity. One of the more popular designs to emerge in recent years is the Gunderson-GIMSA/Concarril 5188cf Covered Hopper. The Gunderson 5188cf is a large 3-bay hopper that measures 58’ over the coupler centers and is built to fit within the Plate C clearance diagram. These all-steel cars feature a capacity of 5,188 cubic feet and are equipped with trough-style loading hatches for efficient loading. The hatch covers can either be made of metal or non-metal materials depending upon customer specifications. Each of its three bays features a 30” x 30” outlet opening, which can be outfitted with a variety of outlet types depending upon customer requirements and/or commodities to be handled. With the production of these cars starting in 2007, they have gone through several design changes including the quantity and width of panels used to construct the car sides, addition of two or four large horizontal ribs on the car sides, and placement and design of pulling loops.
Here's what scaletrains.com has to say about these 2018 models -
Designed from builder blueprints, the all-new Gunderson-GIMSA/Concarril 5188 Cubic Foot Covered Hopper features all of the detail you have come to expect from our Rivet Counter line. The model features three different body styles, two different hatch types, two different outlet gate options, and numerous factory-applied parts. These cars are common in unit grain trains as well as mixed manifest freights and can often be found alongside Trinity 5161cf Covered Hoppers.
Prototype-specific Features -
- 10 intermediate panels, all the same width or of varying widths
- Zero, two or four horizontal stiffening ribs
- Fiberglass or metal roof hatches
- ATP 30 X 30 or Miner AutoLok II gravity outlets
General Features -
- All-new model
- Up to 22 different road numbers
- Photo-etched stainless steel see through roofwalk with metal grab irons
- Photo-etched stainless steel see through end platforms
- Factory-applied trainline pipe
- Separately applied brake cylinder and linkage, control valve, air reservoir
- Brake wheel, stand, and chain
- Plastic semi-scale Type E lower knuckle couplers – Micro-Trains® compatible
- ASF Ride Control trucks with finely rendered raised foundry data
- Minimum radius: 9 ¾” / Recommended radius: 11”
- Photo etched stirrup steps
- Body mounted coupler box that can accept Micro-Trains® 1015/1016 type couplers
- Fully assembled
- Coupler cut levers
- Trainline hoses
- Printing and lettering legible even under magnification
- Color matched to Tru-Color Paint colors whenever possible
- Weighted to Industry standards
- Operates on Code 55 and 70 rail
- Clear jewel box packaging safely stores model