Kansas City Southern Grain Hoppers

R

riverotter

Midwest Alliance Rail Sys
Jun 9, 2005
194
0
16
Near Kansas City, MO
As I was driving east on Highway 210 this afternoon near I-435 I saw three sidings near the KCT grain elevator that were full of these KCS grain hoppers, looking very clean and new. Gorgeous! I know they've been done in N scale (the pic is actually the model, not the real deal), but does anyone know if they've been done or are planned to be released in HO?

KCS-Grain-Hopper.jpg
 
Thank you eightyeightfan1!

The blurb on the Athearn website includes this caveat "Based on our popular Genesis body, but with paint schemes that aren't quite accurate for this specific model."

The Horizon Hobby site lists them as "due late May 2008."

It appears only one road number is available.

Stay tuned for late-breaking news ...
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverotter
Thank you eightyeightfan1!

The blurb on the Athearn website includes this caveat "Based on our popular Genesis body, but with paint schemes that aren't quite accurate for this specific model."


eightyeightfan1 said:
Does it matter?
Click to expand...

To some people it might, but not to me! I'll just have to figure out how to change the road number to create a fleet of them!
 
All I'll say on this matter is, Athearn must be doggone proud of them! For $28.95 a pop, they are way out of my league. And for that much money, I'd expect them to be 100% accurate! Caveats are just attorneys wanting to cover the corporate's backsides.
 
sgtcarl said:
All I'll say on this matter is, Athearn must be doggone proud of them! For $28.95 a pop, they are way out of my league. And for that much money, I'd expect them to be 100% accurate! Caveats are just attorneys wanting to cover the corporate's backsides.
Click to expand...

I agree with you about this. I expect to see them through various venues - eBay, internet stores, etc. - at lower than that price after they're released. I'm wondering if anyone else will take a shot at producing these ... correctly, of course. If so, I would wait. But I'm such a KCS fanatic (see my avatar!) that I'll take what I can get.
 
Better-Half and I went to the LHS yesterday for my birthday.
I asked the owner if he was going to get any of those. He told me he's not getting any more Athearn because Horizon is putting the screws to him because he runs his store out of his basement, after seven years of doing buisness knowing he does run his LHS out of the basement. It was from another "all hobbies store" that ratted him out, after the two had a verbal agreement, that my LHS wouldn't sell RC, he won't sell trains.
He was doing $3000.00 a month in Athearn sales. He told me other costumers cancelled all the back orders.......$25,000 dollars worth!, because Horizon wanted them to send the the back order stuff to other stores. All but two said Hell No!

I think maybe Horizon was putting the screws to the other place.....
Sell trains...or go find another RC supplier!
 
Rumor has it (the RC shop down the street claims), Horizon's minimum orders are 150% that of Walthers'. I overheard Jules, the owner bitching because he "has" to order 25% trains, or RC (I.E. no less then 25% of the order can be trains, or RC) with any order. He said he'd prefer to be doing more like 95% just to stiff the RC business (this is a big RC shop too).

Note, this is all hear-say, just what I overhear while browsing the shop.:oops:
 
sgtcarl said:
All I'll say on this matter is, Athearn must be doggone proud of them! For $28.95 a pop, they are way out of my league.
Click to expand...

I just received three of them (different road numbers) I ordered from Hobbyland in Mishawaka, Indiana. (I think I got the last three they had on hand.) They were $22.99 each.

It looks like there are five different road numbers, total:
286003
286025
286113
286130
286139

A lot of places on the Web list these items, but show them as out of stock, back ordered, etc.

KCSHoppersTrain-2cr.JPG

Proto 2000 KCS GP-30 pulling the three new grain hoppers and a MoPac caboose (well, it is red!). Totally non-prototypical I know. Humor me...
 
jbaakko said:
Rumor has it (the RC shop down the street claims), Horizon's minimum orders are 150% that of Walthers'. I overheard Jules, the owner bitching because he "has" to order 25% trains, or RC (I.E. no less then 25% of the order can be trains, or RC) with any order. He said he'd prefer to be doing more like 95% just to stiff the RC business (this is a big RC shop too).

Note, this is all hear-say, just what I overhear while browsing the shop.:oops:
Click to expand...

You know, I think you guys are getting a lot of BS from these places. We have a hobby store north of the border. I think everyone knows Horizon has been working towards using only actual retail stores, that's no surprise. Most of the other large distributors are moving that way too.

Horizon's minimum orders are significantly larger than Walthers, but they also sell a lot broader spectrum of products. And it's not that much that, realistically, any retail store should be able to make minimum orders every week if they wanted.

As for the percentage requirements rc v. train, I'm pretty sure that's an "untruth". We've never been told we have to order any ratio of products. Ever. In fact, most orders we'd be nowhere near 25% for train stuff, as the VAST majority of our Horizon orders are for RC products. Our train orders are really split b/w Walthers and Horizon, and some other smaller suppliers and direct from manufacturers.
 
the are by far one of the nicer looking cars ive seen in a while. guess you get what you pay for. while i do'nt model kcs, i might just get one of them, because thet look great.
 
Rockislandmike, Haven't seen you around here in a while, good to see you!

While I was still working at a hobby shop, Our relationship with Horizon was excellent! They were always willing to work with us, and were understanding of our particular needs.
I am, just a little curious to know why Horizon doesn't seem to want to deal with the kit manufacturing company that I am now a part of. It could be that we still sell direct. That situation may change, when they see us back again at the iHobby Expo in Rosemont, Il. this October.
 
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