Micro-Trains - 098 44 230 - Covered Hopper, 2-Bay, GATX Airslide 4180 - Santa Fe - 310617
Click to see the details
history
Stock Number | 098 44 230 |
Secondary Stock Number | 098 44 230 |
Original Retail Price | $35.90 |
Brand | Micro-Trains |
Manufacturer | Micro-Trains Line |
Body Style | Micro-Trains 098 Covered Hopper 2-Bay 50 Foot Airslide |
Image Provider's Website | Link |
Prototype Vehicle | Covered Hopper, 2-Bay, GATX Airslide 4180 (Details) |
Road or Company Name | Santa Fe (Details) |
Reporting Marks | ATSF |
Road or Reporting Number | 310617 |
Paint Color(s) | Brown |
Print Color(s) | White, Black with weathering |
Paint Scheme | Factory Weathered |
Coupler Type | MT Magne-Matic Knuckle |
Wheel Type | Injection Molded Plastic |
Wheel Profile | Standard |
Series Name | Weathered |
Release Date | 2023-01-17 |
Item Category | Rolling Stock (Freight) |
Model Type | Covered Hopper |
Model Subtype | 2-Bay |
Model Variety | 50 Foot Airslide |
Prototype Region | North America |
Prototype Era | NA Era IV: 2nd Gen Diesel (1958 - 1978) |
Scale | 1/160 |
Specific Item Information:
Built in the mid-1970s for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe as a class Ga-197, this Airslide hopper was repainted into BNSF colors in the 1990s. With a special epoxy lining, these cars were specifically designed for use with fine-grained commodities, like powdered sugar, that could settle en-route making unloading difficult. Road Number: ATSF 310617, Series: 310580-310629, Era: 1990s-2000s, Trucks: Barber Roller Bearing, Built: 1970s, Region: West
Model Information:
This is Micro-Trains model of the GATX 4180 c.f. covered Airslide hopper.
Prototype History:
The first Airslide covered hopper was introduced by General American Transportation Corporation (GATX) in 1953 and had a capacity of 2600 cubic feet. The Airslide is primarily designed for the bulk shipment of dry, granular or powdered commodities. The design of that car is such that it can be loaded and unloaded quickly and with little spillage through the use of air pressure. The most common commodities carried include: flour, sugar, starch, plastic pellets, cement, powdered chemicals and carbon black.
Due to customer demand for larger covered hoppers capable of handling bulk commodities, General American Transportation Corporation introduced the larger 4180 c.f. model in 1963. GATX produced more than 5,000 of the 4180 cubic foot Airslide covered hoppers between 1963 and 1980. These very common cars continued General American’s “Airslide” family innovations from the 1950s, and proved valuable to bulk shippers who wanted a larger car than the earlier-design 2600 cubic foot cars provided.
Due to customer demand for larger covered hoppers capable of handling bulk commodities, General American Transportation Corporation introduced the larger 4180 c.f. model in 1963. GATX produced more than 5,000 of the 4180 cubic foot Airslide covered hoppers between 1963 and 1980. These very common cars continued General American’s “Airslide” family innovations from the 1950s, and proved valuable to bulk shippers who wanted a larger car than the earlier-design 2600 cubic foot cars provided.
Road Name History:
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. Chartered in February 1859, the railroad reached the Kansas-Colorado border in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up real estate offices and sold farm land from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress. Despite the name, its main line never served Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the terrain was too difficult; the town ultimately was reached by a branch line from Lamy.
The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline (the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway). Its bus line extended passenger transportation to areas not accessible by rail, and ferryboats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travelers to complete their westward journeys to the Pacific Ocean. The ATSF was the subject of a popular song, Harry Warren & Johnny Mercer's "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", written for the film, The Harvey Girls (1946).
The railroad officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996, when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway.
Read more on Wikipedia.
The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline (the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway). Its bus line extended passenger transportation to areas not accessible by rail, and ferryboats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travelers to complete their westward journeys to the Pacific Ocean. The ATSF was the subject of a popular song, Harry Warren & Johnny Mercer's "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", written for the film, The Harvey Girls (1946).
The railroad officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996, when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway.
Read more on Wikipedia.
Brand/Importer Information:
Micro-Trains is the brand name used by both Kadee Quality Products and Micro-Trains Line. For a history of the relationship between the brand and the two companies, please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide.
Manufacturer Information:
Micro-Trains Line split off from Kadee Quality Products in 1990. Kadee Quality Products originally got involved in N-Scale by producing a scaled-down version of their successful HO Magne-Matic knuckle coupler system. This coupler was superior to the ubiquitous 'Rapido' style coupler due to two primary factors: superior realistic appearance and the ability to automatically uncouple when stopped over a magnet embedded in a section of track. The success of these couplers in N-Scale quickly translated to the production of trucks, wheels and in 1972 a release of ready-to-run box cars.
Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.
Please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide

Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.
Please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide
Item created by: CMK
on 2023-01-17 18:20:37
Last edited by: CMK on 2023-01-17 18:20:38
If you see errors or missing data in this entry, please feel free to log in and edit it. Anyone with a Gmail account can log in instantly.
Last edited by: CMK on 2023-01-17 18:20:38
If you see errors or missing data in this entry, please feel free to log in and edit it. Anyone with a Gmail account can log in instantly.