Trains.com

BNSF Flex-Beam flat cars.

9093 views
30 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,021 posts
Posted by tree68 on Sunday, December 3, 2017 10:45 PM

BaltACD
Making either or both the bulkheads and center beams moveable would increase the maintenance costs for the cars as well as creating another point(s) of failure that would decrease the availability of the cars for customer use.

Indeed - and that same thought occurred to me as I was writing. It doesn't make the concept any less doable, just a whole lot less desirable...

If it is made by man, it will fail at the worst possible moment.
Basically, Gumperson's Law:  "The probability of anything happening is in inverse ratio to its desirability."  Or, as I first heard it, "If anything can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible time..."

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy