HO GATC 2600 Airslide Hopper PRR / GACX #44144 (ATHG87498)

HO scale GATC 2600 Airslide Hopper in PRR and GACX livery recreates a mid-20th‑century bulk-car designed to haul materials that don’t flow easily, such as flour, sugar, starch and plastics. The Airslide design uses two narrow, steep‑sided bays with an air‑permeable bottom to fluidize the load for unloading, a concept General American Transportation began producing in the 1950s. The 2,600‑cubic‑foot, 70‑ton car could appear as a single unit or be paired into two‑unit drawbar sets for a combined 5,200 cubic feet of capacity, reflecting how some cars were run longer in service.

Three body styles are reproduced along with highly detailed underbody piping and hardware, including outlet options, rectangular or oval shaker brackets, and gravity or gravity‑pneumatic outlets. The model features a see‑through metal roof walk, factory‑installed wire grab irons and brake piping, separately applied roof hatches and brake wheel, and can be fitted with either roller bearing or Bettendorf trucks. Machined metal wheels with RP25 contours ride on weighted, accurately painted and printed bodies, and body‑mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers provide prototypical handling on HO layouts with a minimum 18‑inch radius.