Accurail ACF Covered Hopper

Accurail ACF Covered Hopper Accurail Covered Hopper...
Accurail's large ACF type covered hopper is dead on for the HC-47 class of covered hopper that Chessie owned. It is even very close for the HC-24 and HC-24. You can find these kits in a three pack "Fallen Flags" pack (see pics below). The Chessie System Historical Society also offered them in Chessie paint. Accurail also produces an undecorated kit that you can paint and decal yourself. The best decals readily available are Microscale's Chessie covered hopper set, but Champ and Herald King made decals for them too (usually called Jumbo Covered Hopper). Decorated ones go for around $10 each and undecs around $8. They are well worth the money and any Chessie pike needs lots of these in both Chessie yellow and predecessor light grey.

I have made about a dozen of the undecorated ones. I strongly recommend this kit over the Athearn version. This one is just so much more accurate right out of the box. There really isn't much for you to do to it other than weather it. The Fallen Flags kits did not come with consolidated decals, so you will need to add those. Check a photo to be sure about placement. There is no need to do any body work on these kits, just assemble and weather them.

Below is a Dean Heacock pic of the real deal.

Below are pics of mine.