The BNSF railroad is a major coal mover in the western United States. The BNSF moves 40 - 60 loaded coal trains from Powder River Basin mines in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, servicing also Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, and North Dakota. A total of 255 million tons of coal were moved by the BNSF alone in 2004, and they run over 400 coal trains today.
Box includes 8 individually numbered coalporters
Customer Reviews
Kato N Scale BNSF Bethgon Coal Hoppers 8 Pack
On January 3rd, I ordered 3 boxes 📦 of these coal cars. I could have bought them anywhere; however I chose Fusion Scale Hobbies.
What a mistake.
Weeks later, I wondered where my order was.
I called. LM. No reply.
I was able to locate “instant” chat 💬. No reply.
I was able to find a way to email them. Finally, an automated response that were closed until January 20th (MAGAday) due to “inclement weather.
Snowflakes ❄️ they are.
This transited:
January 3rd, 2025; I ordered 24 - N scale coal cars from a hobby store called Fusion Scale hobbies. I have been rekindling my childhood dream of building a train layout. After my back appointments in Waukesha, I feel so good, and I stumbled across a hobby store there called Hiawatha Hobby.
What does this all have to do with health, speech, and my post? Well here is the Dateline story …
Back in 2018, when I first traveled to Durango, Colorado; I witnessed 3 BNSF ( Burlington Northern Santa Fe ) locomotives pulling 4 miles of coal cars ( full ) up a 1.3% mountain 🏔️ grade. The ground rumbled / shook. I was in awe. I could stand there all day and watch. This vision remains etched in my mind. That is my N-scale recreation. Track, mountain ⛰️, locomotives, coal cars, scenery. So my quest began.
I purchased the coal cars ( start ) from Fusion Scale hobbies. This was before I stumbled on the gem Hiawatha Hobby. That was ok, I’m learning.
After spending $3,000+ at Hiawatha Hobby, I questioned where my order from Fusion Scale hobbies was. This was January 15th, 2025. It showed my order. It took me to SHOP app, where I could track the order. Just needed a tracking number. I had none. Back and forth I went between SHOP and Fusion’s website and app. Then an instant chat came up on Fusion. I thought great, now I’ll be able to communicate. I wrote my message. No reply. Sent another. No reply. I called Fusion’s phone number. Left voicemail. Mind you, this is during the day, so during normal business hours. I kept this pattern up every half hour for the afternoon. Calling, messaging. About every hour or so.
Finally, information came up on the chat ( automated ) that gave an email. I sent one. Edited it 4 times, to take out words my mother, grandmother, great grandmother, would not let me say. Sent. Instantly, an automated reply came saying that the Fusion Scale hobby people were out of the shop, and that the shop was closed until Monday January 20th, 2025; due t “… inclement weather…”. Ok 👌🏻. I’ll wait until Monday to call them.
Yesterday, I received an email. I received my tracking number. I received a snobbish reply from them on how nobody, even remotely, could understand my voicemail. That’s why they couldn’t do anything, and prefer email. My blood 🩸 boiled. I wrote them back and told them how NOTHING on their website indicated their INCLEMENT WEATHER closing. I gave them a lashing about how they ridiculed / belittled me over my voice. I explained how dare they ridicule a handicapped person, when they have all my contact information, and gladly took my money 💰. I promised to post my experience on every social media I have, including, but not limited to, the 20+ train groups i belong to.
🤔
Flooded with excuses, messages, emails, and “sorry” ( a word that is meaningless to me ) from Fusion, trying now to win me back as a customer, when they told me to go elsewhere, and not order from them again in their snobbish email. Oh, don’t worry 😉 … i won’t. Neither will my children, their children, their children’s children, or any hobbyist I talk to. And there will be many …
They will then be able to twiddle their thumbs 👍🏻, with their business closed, and enjoy the inclement weather.
If my order does not arrive Tuesday ( as tracking shows ), or for any other reason, I will file a lawsuit against them, including discrimination.
It bothered me the entire day. I witness everyday how people ignore me when I talk. The muscle control of my speech has gotten worse. The fate of my disease is that someday I won’t be able to swallow. Until then, I can still type. My iPhone 📱 even does not understand me. Steven Hawkins wrote about the same exact experiences in his book.
I went to church Thursday night, and turned this all over to God. I am to go again tomorrow, as I feel I need to rehear his words. I tried to be silent about it all, but it is eating away at me.
Thank you for reading, or listening to my words.
Mark L. Graser
What can you say about Kato Bethgons except to say they are flawless. Eight hoppers with true rolling trucks and level couplers. Love dragging them around my layout.