This was an impulse purchase at the Atlanta Train Show last weekend. This massive beast was only $5.00, so I snapped it up not even caring what it was.
.
It is a 16 axle super heavy flat car. The load is awful, so it will need to be replaced, but that is an easy fix.
Well, now that it is home, I am not sure what to do with it.
It will never be able to run on my layout. It is just too darned big for my hidden curves.
My gut feeling is just to repaint it, letter it for the STRATTON AND GILLETTE, and use it as prop in photographs. That was my intention when I bought it.
However, I am already looking for ways to improve it. The end sections are made of wood. The depressed center section is metal. I don't think there is an easy way to get enough weight on the end sections for it to track reliably.
I am just pondering really. It is a neat model. I might take some test pictures tomorrow to get an idea of how it looks in a model setting.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Gidday Kevin, here's a link to Tom Daspits excellent site, regarding the prototype car...
http://southern.railfan.net/flat/cars/prr/245/prr470245.html
...some food for thought!!
I'll try and give you my thoughts later.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I guess fix it up and use it as a photoprop or part it on a siding somewhere to add some variety to your rolling stock fleet. Maybe fix it up and but it in a diplay case somewhere in your layout room.
That thing really is a monstrosity! What is the minimum radius on you layout, I think it may fit a 28" or 32", maybe. Have you tested it to see what it will handle. Maybe you could modify it to handle tighter curves, perhaps replace the truck with 4 3 axle trucks or 8 2 axle trucks...
I don't think a car like that would be in a regular train, all the pictures I've seen (which isn't that many...) of cars like that are in short trains often containing just the car and a caboose on either end.
Whatever you do with it you only spent $5 on it, so if it sits in a box in the basement I guess it's not really a big deal...
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
JaBearTom Daspits excellent site, regarding the prototype car...
Thank you Bear. That was an excellent link. The bolsters that I thought looked wrong are actually very close to the prototype design.
SPSOT fanThat thing really is a monstrosity! What is the minimum radius on you layout, I think it may fit a 28" or 32", maybe. Have you tested it to see what it will handle. Maybe you could modify it to handle tighter curves
As it is right now, it will not run.
The two four axle trucks interfere with one another. I could remove some brake detail and probably work around that problem.
The car does not sit level. It leans badly to one side. I do not see what is causing this. I will need to investigate further.
The car also has a short circuit. There is zero ohms resistance between the rails when I set it on the track. It probably just has a wheelset installed backward in one of the metal trucks.
Kevin,Don't worry about extra weight because those long SD cars was used wth a ideler car behind the engine and in front of the cabin..When empty they was the last car of the train consist..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
SeeYou190The load is awful, so it will need to be replaced, but that is an easy fix.
How else do you think they would transport the "World's Largest Wheel of Cheddar Cheese"?
I have another photo of the "Queen Mary" that was in a collection of Erie Railroad photos I bought:
PRR_QueenMary by Edmund, on Flickr
Obviously taken the same day as the Wellsville, Ohio shot. The PRR also had an open-well span that could be substituted for the depressed center portion. I believe the car was used 98% of the time for hauling Westinghouse power plant turbine assemblies.
https://www.kohs.com/PRR_Flat_Car_Pages/PRR_FD_FW_Intro.html
Some of the models made by Railworks will command upwards of $600 when they come up at auctions or brass dealers. As far as what to do with it? Perhaps make a small display shelf for it and keep it as a conversation piece.
Cheers, Ed
Yes the Pennsylvania RR had such a massive flat car, and as I recall the four axle trucks were taken from retired and scrapped tenders to the T1 class 4-4-4-4 steam locomotives. Those were huge heavy tenders. Whether Bowser still offers those trucks (old Penn Line tooling) among their remaining steam parts (they advertise that they still have some steam parts) I do not know.
There was an article in the 1950s by an excellent modeler of the era named Irv Winer, who was one of the first to take up the challenge of modeling in plastic at a time when the "real" craftsmen in the hobby disdained plastic. As I recall Winer used acrylic plastic and heat formed it over his own crafted wooden form to create one of these massive flat cars. I wonder if this could be that very model? Or built by someone who was following the MR article?
And if I recall correctly the late Gordon Odegard was modeling the same car in the same old issue of MR but he used wood and metal for his model. As good a craftsman as he was, I recall Winer's model looking far more like steel, but both models looked great.
The thing about flatcars of this huge size and capacity (which would need special orders and routings when used) is that they likely spent most of their lives sitting on a siding in a yard somewhere waiting for just the right customer to need such a massive car. So it would be quite prototypical to have such a car shoved onto a siding, perhaps even a weed grown siding, and not run it on the layout. Sans load of course. Now and then you could just remove it from the layout and claim it was sent to an online customer at a time of day when - by astounding coincidence -- nobody was in your basement to see the move.
Dave Nelson
The depress center part of that car looks like a Bachmann or Roco.
Russell
The model is not really an accurate model of the prototype shown, as the end decks of the depressed-centre car are too short, placing the weight of the car and its load on only the in-board set of trucks .On the protoype, that weight is applied to the centre of span-bolsters over the two trucks at either end of the car.
Were it mine, I'd remove the outboard trucks and the deck extensions over them, then either lengthen the car to extend it over the remaining trucks or remove those trucks and replace them with a pair of short-wheelbase three axle trucks.
While at first glance it looks impressive, there's a lot about it that's not right. Modified as suggested, it would not only look more believeable, but would likely also be useable.
Wayne
RR_MelJust for kicks I inserted the photo into my CAD and scaled it to feet using the specs from Bear’s post.
You can check your results against the PRR equipment diagram:
http://prr.railfan.net/freight/PRRdiagrams.html?diag=FD2.gif&fr=cl
and a decent print:
http://prr.railfan.net/documents/pdf/drawings/DepressedCenterFlatCarClassFD2_600mono.pdf
You got it within inches
Regards, Ed
Kevin, put a big wooden crate as large as you can possibly fit in the middle of that thing. That would conceal what's in the crate.
I would say that flatcar was used to transport Gold from Fort Knox to Area 51 for the aliens that have been harvesting it from our planet since the time of the Egyptian pyramids.
If I'm right...... it could be why that flatcar was designed and why our money is not worth anything anymore
TF
Gold is heavy..... it's all about weight distribution.
Hi Kevin,
I have limited knowledge of such flat cars, but I do agree that the configuration isn't realistic. The load should be bearing on both trucks equally. That will require extending both ends of the main body, but if you do make the changes, as far as weight goes, you would be able to put all of it into the load.
Given that the main body is metal, you might have to build your own extensions unless you can find a matching depressed center flat car by the same manufacturer. Even then, cutting the bodies up and mating them properly might be a PITA, and if the glue doesn't hold, you will have a disaster on your hands. As an alternative, you might try finding a couple of Athearn depressed center flats and making an extended body out of the two of them. It would be a lot easier to glue styrene sections together rather than metal. Or, scratch build your own body like JaBear did.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Kevin,
It may be a botched assembly of a Concept Models kit, They are pretty rough and need a lot of work to look good.
http://www.con-sys.com/all_PRR_spec_flats.htm
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
I've been to Altoona and seen the real thing - pretty darn impressive piece of heavy machinery. It does tend to look oversize compared to more typical rolling stock, so it's a great contract. As Dr. Wayne pointed out, the model is just not right, and it really sticks out even without seeing the prototype comparison.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Now that I have taken a better look at the model, yes, it is too far wrong to even use a prop without some work.
The ends of the depressed section should end in between the two trucks for it to look right, and they do not.
However, the trucks do not look too terrible when compared to the prototype pictures, and they are brass, but I do not know the origin.
The end platform sections are scratchbuilt from thin balsa wood. That is why they are so light. One of the ends is terribly put together. The trucks interfere, and that is what caused the car to lean. There is no way to get all the wheels to sit on the rail, so at least one axle is always sitting on a flange and being raised up.
The other end looks pretty good, but not able to be used.
The center section is from AHM.
My idea is to use only one of the four axle trucks under each end. I will build small platform section for each truck. I might machine the platforms from bar stock steel for some weight.
I think I can use these pieces to build a good looking freelanced heavy duty flatcar.
SeeYou190There is no way to get all the wheels to sit on the rail, so at least one axle is always sitting on a flange and being raised up.
I will politely disagree. It is pretty obvious that the truck is twisted. It looks like the trucks are screwed together, which is typical of brass construction, so if you loosen the screws slightly the sideframes should be able to be adjusted to be parallel to each other. I'm no expert on brass, but perhaps the sideframe screws should be slightly loose to allow the truck sides to float so they can conform to the track independently.
Your idea of just using two trucks instead of four is certainly workable, but the end result will be nowhere near as interesting as the original model. You have a great opportunity here to make a real silk purse out of a sows ear!
If it were me, I would stick with 16 axles. You implied that you have access to machine tools so you have the resources to make the articulated truck system parts out of metal. I don't have much in the way of machine tools (read - none) so I would just make the articulated platforms out of brass stock. That would address the weight issue quite nicely! I'd also forget the metal body and follow JaBear's example of building a depressed center flatcar body from scratch using styrene. It could also be done in brass, but styrene would be much easier.
My biggest challenge would be finding the time!
Cheers!!
Some blatant self promotion!!!
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/256674.aspx
hon30critter It is pretty obvious that the truck is twisted. It looks like the trucks are screwed together,
Not in this case, there are no twisted truck frames on the model.
The two trucks are tounching. See close-up below. This prevents both trucks from sitting straight, and causes one to ride the flange on one side.
This is also to source of the short circuit, because alternate side of the axles in each truck are the insulated side.
The simple fix would be to remove the brake detail, but I do not want to do that. I intend to save the extra set of four axle trucks.
SeeYou190Not in this case, there are no twisted truck frames on the model.
Okay Kevin, I see what is going on now.
I'm going to elaborate on my previous suggestion:
Scrap everything except the trucks and start over again!
I'm sure that regardless of what you decide to do, the results will be excellent!
The car has been disassembled and looked over.
I have a plan to build it with just the single pair of four axle trucks... more updates will occassionally follow.