Shopping Cart
The Athearn 1401 brings together three Berwick Bathtub gondolas with PRAX reporting marks in a single set, finished with the Primed For Grime treatment applied directly at the factory. Each car body arrives with sun-bleached fading, rust staining and fresh paint patches over aged metal, rendered with photographic precision no additional weathering required. The result is a set of cars that, on the layout, conveys the feel of rolling stock that has genuinely earned its miles.
Bathtub gondolas: a design with its own logic
The downward-curved floor between the trucks which gives this car type its name is more than a visual trait: it reflects a loading logic that maximises interior volume and lowers the centre of gravity of the consist. On a layout, that distinctive silhouette sets these gondolas apart from any flat-bottom car and gives them an immediately recognisable presence within a freight consist. All three cars in the set carry individual printed road numbers (#99046, #99055 and #99069), allowing them to run in the same train without looking like clones.
Confirmed mechanics and details
Each car rides on machined metal 33-inch RP25 profile wheels, compatible with code 83 and 100 track, and features body-mounted McHenry articulated magnetic couplers. The underframes include internal weights calibrated to NMRA standards. Hand-applied details bent wire grab irons, stirrup steps and an exposed brake mechanism with separate handwheel, cylinder and piping add visual depth to each end of the car. Minimum operating radius is 18 inches (45.7 cm).
Removable load and a base for further weathering
All three cars include moulded and textured load blocks simulating bulk materials. They are removable, making it easy to alternate between a loaded train and an empty return consist within the same composition. The Primed For Grime finish is also designed as a ready base for modellers who want to apply additional powders or washes directly to the model, with no prior preparation needed. In a long freight consist, the combination of three cars with individual road numbers, visible loads and varied weathering adds natural variety to the whole without forcing any element.