... of a pair of MDC bulkhead flatcars. (Yes, actually MDC - I picked these up before the whole Athearn buyout, and never touched them yet).
This pair is being converted to represent CP rail 51'8" IL bulkhead flatcars. Cutting down the MDC car makes a pretty close stand-in for the prototype cars. The inside length is really close if you remove the material between the bulkheads and the last stake pocket at each end. The side sill profile needs a little cutting to fashion the fishbelly, and the bulkheads need a little rework in the end bracing.
The tricky part is going to be figuring out how to do the chain boxes and ratchet tie downs that these cars were built with. These have all since been removed from the prototype cars, but a 1970s-80s representation should have them.
Here's the two victims:
Prototype photos from fallenflags:
