Saturday 8 January 2022

SCLAIR Pellet Hoppers Going to Scrap

 Back on December 2, 2021, an acquaintance of mine, Marc Dease, caught the last three of the SCLAIR covered hoppers on their way east out of Sarnia. I'm told that the trio were headed for scrapping. I'm sorry to see them go, as their colourful paint scheme has always been so distinctive, particularly here in Sarnia among the hundreds of rather ordinary grey covered hoppers and black tank cars that always fill the Sarnia freight yards.

Photos below used with permission

And now here's Marc's going away shot...
Thanks for the use of the photos Marc!

I've know that I've posted my three models of the last of these cars in the past, but here they are again anyway.  These ones will keep on being used in service in the industrial setting of my layout though.





I've sold off a few of my locomotives over the past couple of months, but this week I took delivery, via Canada Post, of this undecorated Atlas GP38 (below).  I found this engine through the facebook group that I've joined.

For the short term this project is being put off as I await a non-dynamic brake hatch section from Atlas. I just ordered the part on Thursday, same day as I received the engine.

In the meantime, I have installed a 4-function decoder and then sent the engine out for a successful test spin around the layout.  When the hatch part gets here, the engine will be painted in the grey and red corporate colours of the JSSX.
The undecorated GP38 looks a rather ghostly white as it sits on a holding track outside of the JSSX loco maintenance shed.

Edit:  for those that may have been on here earlier, I posted a picture of an undecorated SD40 by mistake. I'm feeling a bit foolish about that. Oh well.  Sharp-eyed friend Chuck in Chicago spotted the error, and sent me an email to tell me about it.

9 comments:

  1. Those are sharp looking hopper cars. I always assumed it was a fantasy paint scheme.

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    1. Hi DandH. Nope, not a fantasy scheme at all. You can get decals for that scheme from Highball Graphics (I did). Also, Intermountain makes the cars undecorated and in the colour scheme as well.

      Jim

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  2. So what will you do to the dynamic brake hatch?

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  3. The plan is to remove it (pops right off) and replace it with the non-dynamic version that I've ordered.

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  4. Interesting. Would you sell the dynamic brake hatch to me?

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    Replies
    1. Hello unknown (?). I might be able to do that, but I want to get my non-dynamic part first and make sure it's going to work out for me.

      Jim

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    2. Well i got a non dynamic hatch from an rtr Athearn gp38 that i dont need. Swap? My email is eduguz1987@gmail.com

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  5. Thanks for the offer, but I don't have a need for an Athearn non-dynamic hatch. As I said in the text of the post, this is an Atlas GP38, so I don't think that one brand would fit the other.

    Jim

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