Flexi-Vans are coming!

[gmpullman]

I see that Wally has announced future arrival of a Flexi-van flat car! This is great news for me as I model the Central in the late 50's and early '60s eras. I love head end equipment and almost all the NYC passenger trains of that era carried a few Flexi-vans in them. They had steam lines so they could be run at the head end and they were good for 79 mph!
What other railroads used these unique cars? Did they ever run into a problem with having too many / not enough bogies for the trailers at the terminals? I could imagine that since the trailer wheels didn't ship with the container it would be possible to have an imbalance somewhere.
Thanks, ED

[mustanggt]

I read that on the atlas forum a few days ago, sounds cool. Too bad I can't use them, my layout is set 40 years too late.

[Anonymous]

A string of them behind some ABA Stewart or Genesis NYC F7's would look about perfect....

[Anonymous]

Illinois Central also used them in passenger service, painted orange and brown. See Don Ball Jr.'s America's Railroads, the Second Generation, page 157.

[cefinkjr]

Didn't MILW use them but only in passenger service?

One of my favorite consists was SV-? (9, I think). It would arrive in Collinwood Yard (Cleveland, OH) with nothing but Flexi-Vans, a caboose, more Flexi-Vans, and a second caboose. The train would be cut behind the first caboose and then continue west toward Elkhart, IN. Power would be added to the remaining Flexi-Vans and the second caboose. That part of the train would go west too but would head southwest at Elyria. Neat operation.

Chuck

[M636C]

Are we talking about single van or double van cars here? I'd like to see some double van cars, because they were used by the Victorian Railways and New South Wales Railways on the Sydney Melbourne and Melbourne Adelaide runs from about 1962. (in those days, the first was standard gauge, and still is, but Melbourne Adelaide was 5'3" gauge until 1995). The cars still exist and were converted to take three 20' containers, rather than two of the 37' Flexi-Vans. How long were US Flexi -Vans?

Peter

[Anonymous]

I'm watching this, too! I'm sure that I could fit a couple of wagons into a consist behind a couple of SAR 930s.

There was an article in an American mag a few years ago: may have been MR. NYC featured heavily...

I have drawings of SAR and NSWGR wagons: I'll try to scan them, and post them on Railpage, then post a link here.

Allan Lees

[Anonymous]

These are the two unit wagons, used by the NSWGR, perhaps by the VR, but not by the SAR...
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3920

Allan Lees

[Anonymous]

Wally's also doing NYC express boxcars, rebuilt from troop sleepers!

NYC was the biggest owner of Flexivans, and MILW was second. Other operators included IC, CB&Q, PRR, ATSF and RI.

[davekelly]

PRR used them? Way cool. Does anyone have a link that would show a pic of them and maybe some general info? (ie: years used etc).

[prfedd]

In answer to gmpullman on Flexi-vans. I was associated with them from 1958 to their end. Besides NYC, they were used by the CB&Q, Milw, ATSF, PFE, MDT, Southern, Annapee & Western, IC, as well as some truck lines and freight forwarders, Mushroom Transport-Syracuse, NY, Western Transportation, Chicago W.Tynan( meat hauler) Universal Carloading, Torcoand I believe also the L&N. The original flat cars were designed to hold 1-36 & 1 -40 foot van with hydraulic turntables( these were a real pain)There were many different types ie: auto racks, tankers, open tops, reefers, flatbeds. The imbalance of bogies would drive us nuts, originall the system was 1 bogie for 3 vans ( 2 in transit and 1 local) but when you interchanged -oops there goes the bogie.

[gmpullman]

Thanks, all...
Somewhere around here I have an old NYC "Headlight" employee mag that features the NEW Flexi-Van. Also, one of the videos I have shows a promo on how the van was loaded onto the car and vise-versa. Prfedd, I bet it was real fun to load/unload in the winter when everything was frozen up! What was that special tractor called that had the 6th wheel out front?
Walther's sometimes answers our prayers as these two head-end cars were on my wish list, these and the express troop sleepers. I see they're doing them in Burlington first...
Ed

[Anonymous]

OK, I have posted the New South Wales Government Railways drawings at

http://www.railpage.com.au/modules.php?set_albumName=album268&name=gallery&include=view_album.php

Are the Walthers planned wagons close to any of these drawings?

Allan Lees

[M636C]

Looking at the Walthers' photo, the NYC double cars had the turntable on the end of the car, and judging from the earlier posts, were loaded and unloaded with a special "reverse" prime mover with a front trailer connection. The NSW cars, as indicated in the drawings (thanks Allan) had central turntables, so a normal prime mover could be used, since the van was balanced when loaded.

The cars themselves look very similar. There were references to 36' and 40' trailers being used. The plans show Australian trailers as 35'. Assuming the worst case and the Walthers model has two 40' trailers, the package would still look a lot like the Australian cars when loaded (if a little too long). The central spine and end platforms look very similar. It might be possible to move the turntables to the central position to give the right appearance. At least the aluminium, vertically ribbed trailers look like the Australian trailers I recall, those of TNT.

I think I'll get an undecorated pair at least, for old times sake!

Australia is about to lose Roadrailer service as well, for the same reason Flexi-Vans went away. The vans are wearing out, and the shippers don't see the advantage in buying new ones. This was clearly shown by the Roadrailer that broke in two, fortunately at very low speed in West Kalgoorlie yard.

Peter

[Anonymous]

My guess is that these are the Mk I wagons, fitted for two 36' trailers. The Mk II wagon was longer, and fitted for a 40' and 36' trailer. The end-turntable Mk III wagons were used (?)only by NYC and its successors, and were fitted for two 40' trailers.

There is an article in MR, Feb, 1992, that is well worth reading...

Allan Lees

[M636C]

Allan,

I finally found my February 1992 Model Railroader. (Was it that long ago I got it?)

Walthers' illustration is of an NYC Mark III car. Hopefully, since other roads are mentioned, the earlier centre turntable version will be modelled. The IC used their vans with side doors as passenger baggage cars, and the paint actually matched!

Peter

[Anonymous]

Back in, probably, 1962 or 3, I photographed the operation of loading a Flexivan at Mile End Goods yard, Adelaide.

I recently submitted these photographs to Catchpoint magazine and I believe that they have been published.

If you can access this magazine, the images may be of some interest.

When I say loading, mean transferring from the road vehicle onto the rail one.

[jrbernier]

 Peter,

  If this is a Mark III car, it would be good for NYC(PC), MARX, NIFX(leased to the Milw), SAL, SOU, & WP.  I have no idea of what/where/who operated the MARX cars(cheap train sets!?).

Jim