This page covers five decal sets:
ICG-100 : $12.00 IC Illinois Central Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1968+ (Letters 2 cars)
ICG-101 : $12.00 INLX Inland Steel Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1968+ (Letters 2 cars)
ICG-102 : $14.00 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1972+ (Letters 2 cars)
ICG-103 : $ 7.00 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hopper Delivery Black 1977+ (Letters 1 car)
ICG-104 : $12.00 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hopper Repaints 1972-1978+ (Letters 2 cars)
They are all designed to fit the new Tangent Scale Models IC Centralia Quad Coal hopper, released in January 2024.
Which decals sets are right for you? Don't worry. Slow down, sit back and relax. Let's walk through each of the offerings:
The Illinois Central and Illinois Central Gulf Centralia, IL Car Shop built over 3,800 3834 cubic foot coal hoppers between 1968 and 1977. They are visually distinctive, with 14 panels between the 15 side posts and a low slope sheet design on the ends. It is difficult to overstate the importance of the "Centralia Quad" in the IC and ICG modeling world. Simply put, they were the backbone of the IC/ICG fleet and are a critical car for modeling the IC/ICG world of coal trains. These decal sets cover many of the paint schemes applied to these cars from 1968-1978. These new sets are aimed at the Tangent Scale Models Centralia Quad Hopper (new in 2024!) and are printed by Cartograf, makers of the finest water-slide decals in the world.
Besides coal, IC also loaded the cars with the occassional scrap loads. (Photo evidence in 1969.) ICG also used the cars in cob loading and grain loading. Yes, these are the Quad hoppers that sometimes received "Hopper Toppers" (also produced by Tangent) when the grain rush required more grain cars than the ICG could spare.
So let's get started with the decal sets:
ICG-100 IC Illinois Central Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1968+
includes enough lettering to letter 2 cars in the IC's delivery black scheme with large orange IC Split Rail.. This decal set is carefully researched and includes data to handle all three orders of IC cars between 1968-1969, 2,920 cars total:
IC 78000-78999 Blt 1968
IC 85000-86199 Blt 1969
IC 89280-89999 Blt 1968-1969
The cars were painted black with white lettering and a big orange split-rail logo. Extra lettering is included to handle many different CAPY weights, later era reweigh dates, COTS and even some CC patch lettering for some of the cars acquired by the Chicago Central in 1985. A lettering diagram is included. There is enough lettering for 2 complete cars.
If you are looking for some online IC prototype photo ideas, you can check George Elwood Fallen Flags , RR Picture Archives.net, or RailcarPhotos to get you started. Look for cars in the IC 78000-78999, IC 85000-86199 and IC 89280-89999 ranges.
ICG-101 INLX Inland Steel Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1968+
includes enough lettering to letter 2 cars in the Inland Steel delivery black scheme with white lettering. This decal set is carefully researched and includes data to handle both of the INLX orders in 1968 and 1972, 330 cars total:
INLX 10001-10240 Blt 1968
INLX 10271-10330 Blt 1972
The cars were painted black with white lettering and ran in unit trains up and down the IC from Inland Steel's Inland No. 1 coal mine near Sesser, IL to Inland Steel in East Chicago, IN. Extra lettering is included to handle different CAPY weights, later era reweigh dates and COTS. A lettering diagram is included. There is enough lettering for 2 complete cars.
If you are looking for some more INLX images in the 1970s, you can check George Elwood Fallen Flags for INLX 10012 , INLX 10023 and INLX 10272.
ICG-102 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1972+
includes enough lettering to letter 2 cars in the ICG's delivery black scheme with large orange I-Ball with black "I"." This is the first order of ICG-built (not IC) quads, 100 cars total.
ICG 363000-363099 Blt 1972
Extra lettering is included to handle many different CAPY weights, later era reweigh dates, COTS etc. A lettering diagram is included. There is enough lettering for 2 complete cars. A few cars were transferred to the Chicago Central in 1985. Most of the remaining series survived into the early 1990s on the "new" IC.
ICG-103 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hopper Delivery Black 1977+
includes enough lettering to letter 1 car in the ICG's 1977 delivery black scheme with orange I-Ball and circle. These 400 cars are the final order of IC-style quads built by ICG Centralia, before production switched to a higher slope sheet body style in 1978.
ICG 363100-363499 Blt 1977
ICG-104 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hopper Repaints 1972-1978+
includes enough lettering for TWO different repaints of former IC cars into various ICG schemes:
ICG 360000-360999 (ex IC 78000-78999)
ICG 361000-362199 (ex IC 85000-86199)
ICG 362280-362999 (ex IC 89280-89999)
1974 Repaint Example: ICG 360214
1977 Repaint Example: ICG 362140
1978 Repaint Example: ICG 360302
A quick note about rebuilding: Groups of the original 1968-1969 IC cars (i.e. the oldest ones) were rebuilt into a 3614cf car with higher slope sheets between 1980-1982. 2,494 cars would be rebuilt for continued service on the ICG. But even after all of that rebuilding and attrition, there were still 83 IC and 660 ICG cars of the original 3834 cubic foot configuration on the rails in 1983. (i.e. after the rebuilding programs had ceased.)
IC and ICG 3834cf cars would continue to work into the very late 1980s and early 1990s. Example: 51 IC cars and 592 ICG cars are listed in April 1987. The latest I personally shot any IC/ICG/CC original body 3834cf cars was in 1996, at the Centralia IL scrap lines.
If you are still reading this, then I applaud your thirst for ICG coal hopper knowledge.
All of these decals are available in HO Scale only. All artwork hand-drawn by me. Printed by Cartograf of Italy.
ICG-100 : $12.00 IC Illinois Central Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1968+ (Letters 2 cars)
ICG-101 : $12.00 INLX Inland Steel Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1968+ (Letters 2 cars)
ICG-102 : $14.00 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hoppers Delivery Black 1972+ (Letters 2 cars)
ICG-103 : $ 7.00 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hopper Delivery Black 1977+ (Letters 1 car)
ICG-104 : $12.00 ICG Illinois Central Gulf Centralia Quad Coal Hopper Repaints 1972-1978+ (Letters 2 cars)
Shipping: See main page for shipping details.