Athearn 16 Wheel Heavy Duty Flatcar w/ Roco Caterpillar Scraper

[Lee Drennen]

This morning I finished up this build. I’ve had this one since I started my layout back in 2012. Enjoy the pics. I’ll get some pics of it on the layout after while.

[Tim Marlow]

Another very interesting design there Lee. The double bogie arrangement is a bit weird. Are they articulated? They must have reduced route availability for those flats because they would struggle on the tighter curves.

[minitnkr]

The two trucks share a common pivot so curves are not a problem, at least for me as mine negotiates 18" radius curves OK.

[Lee Drennen]

Another very interesting design there Lee. The double bogie arrangement is a bit weird. Are they articulated? They must have reduced route availability for those flats because they would struggle on the tighter curves.

Thanks Tim. It goes around my 18” radius curves just fine I’m not sure if they really made a car like this or not but it was a fun build. Glad you dropped in.

[Lee Drennen]

Here’s it is on the layout

[Tim Marlow]

Looks good in place Lee. It may be a “what if” then?
In the UK, specialist heavyweight flats (or wells) existed, but tended to have six (or very occasionally eight) wheeled bogies, rather than articulated bogie pairs. They were most commonly found on breakdown cranes and their ilk.

[Jim R]

Hi Lee
That's a great addition to the layout.
Jim

[Mini Me]

Hi Lee, Good to see this finished......that ROCO scraper looks like it belongs there, so job well done. I have one in the stash except mine has the 4 wheel tractor with a Dolly under the scraper tongue. will swap it out for a crawler at some point to give me something similar to this........

[Lee Drennen]

Yeah I’ve made several of those in HO 1/87 scale and sold them on eBay I also have the Unex DW20 Tractor still in the original package as a matter of fact I think I sold you a tractor drawn 421 Caterpillar scraper.

[Mini Me]

Correct you are Lee......I studied on it for a long time and decided it was going to be a major project to bring it up to snuff. Decided on a 3D international HD21 crawler and this ROCO scraper fell into my lap off sleaze bay so cheap I couldn't say no. The grader is a different story and will be well integrated into my future dio if and when I get all the pieces parts together. .the only 1-87 scale aircraft I can locate from the "Pacific" theater is the Wildcat and I sorely need to get Hellcats as that is what the Marines operated later in the war....eventually they will be available, just have to be patient.