Flatrcars

[Bob Bufkin]

Just noticed these and I kind of like the looks. Any info on what years they were used?  Could I use these for mid to late PC era?
http://www.imrcmodels.com/n/nflatcars.htm

[Mark5]

Bob, these go back to the 1960s. The OTTX in brown ("BCR") definately fits.

http://www.imrcmodels.com/n/html/66405.htm

[wcfn100]

The IM cars are agricultural flats with ties downs for tractors etc..

I believe the first cars carried the reporting marks QTTX aroung the mid 60's.  The way I heard it (or read it), the QTTX reporting marks were too hard to distinguish when dirty so they went to OTTX instead.

I've been disappointed that IM hasn't really covered the pre-ACI era very well.  The MS decals are a nightmare.


Jason

[FrankCampagna]

The boxcar red Trailer Train car list a 3-1959 build date. Is that incorrect?

Frank

[Mark5]

The boxcar red Trailer Train car list a 3-1959 build date. Is that incorrect?

Frank

I gonna go with incorrect.

This is only a guess.

[FrankCampagna]

I thought they were late sixties on. Maybe there was a similar car that Intermountain painted in that scheme? Kind of weird for them to be that far off. Seen worse, though. Own worse  : : : .

Frank

[wcfn100]

Could just be a site typo as the car numbers aren't even close to what's listed.

If you go by the car number 93053 in the picture, I can't find the listing in my '66 ORER, but it does show up in the 1969 one.  So maybe it's supposed to be 3-69.

Jason

[Mark5]

Could just be a site typo as the car numbers aren't even close to what's listed.

If you go by the car number 93053 in the picture, I can't find the listing in my '66 ORER, but it does show up in the 1969 one.  So maybe it's supposed to be 3-69.

Jason

I have one of these cars  - I'll go run down and check.

[Bruce Bird]

You could use them to haul construction equipment also.  Almost 2/3rds of the production of CAT from here in Decatur is shipped overseas and starts it's trek on flatcars,  many which are these cars.  Some of the very large mining trucks take up to three cars to haul one truck (frame on one, bed on the second, tires on the third).

Bruce

[Mark5]

Heh, the model reads 03-59. F60 GH

Some TT info:

http://www.nakina.net/other/report/reportttx.html

Searched the MFCL archives and it seems cars of this type were 1st built in 1964.

[Mark5]

I have a feeeling that a lot of early Trailer Train history is going to disappear into an abyss, if it hasn't already done so ...

It seems there is very little of it documented, at least in an accessible form.

[Bob Bufkin]

I brike down and got a couple of the brown Trailer Train flats.  These are nice cars with wooden decks.  A surprise was that they have body mounted couplers. 

[Mark5]

  A surprise was that they have body mounted couplers. 

One of the 1st in N

[ljudice]

I  love these cars, but the decks are not wood...

The deck is a metal casting - and the sides of the car are plastic with  brass wire details...

There was a major issue getting these made because of weight....

[bbussey]

The first I pretty sure.  Definitely predates the ESM gon and BLMA hopper and all of the Athearn cars.  I believe it was before the IMRC steel milk cars, which also are body-mounted.  The ESM gon was the first announced freight car with body-mounts, but the IMRC flatcar was to market ahead of it.