Road Numbers 876343, 876361, 876317.
The Prototype
This model was based on the prototype Conrail class CE12B covered hopper that it inherited from the Erie Lackawanna, who purchased these cars new from American Car & Foundry (ACF). The prototype has a capacity of 2,970 cu. ft. and is just over 38 ft. long end-to-end.
The Model
The tooling (which was created only a few years ago by Athearn) is excellent with nicely molded car end ladders. The model, like other RTR cars, comes equipped with metal wheels. It is recommended that the stock knuckle couplers be replaced with Kadee #5 or #58 couplers for better performance and realism. The paint on this car is excellent, it even includes the old Erie Lackawanna number in the top right corner of the car, just like the prototype is lettered.
Overall, this is a great car and would make a nice addition to your HO scale model railroad.
