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Freight Cars - Flat Cars Articles

Santa Fe FT-13 Depressed Center Flat Car

The ATSF only had two of these cars. Prototype photo and scale drawings are included.

A 4-truck Flatcar Conversion

The author took an American Flyer depressed-center flat car and kitbashed it into a four-truck depressed-center flat car designed for carrying heavy loads. He describes how he built the special trucks for this project. For the load he is using a SouthWind Models Type A large transformer.

A Bucket Load for a Flat

Using an O-scale dipper for an HO-scale load.

A Bulkhead Flatcar for Two Gauges

Taking a standard gauge car, the author modeled a narrow gauge one. However, most of the article appears to be scratchbuilding the model. Includes scale and isometric drawings of how he built the flat car frame. Also includes prototype photos.

A Military Load for the F22 Gun Flats

Transporting large naval guns using these flat cars. The author used Crown Custom Imports' brass models. Includes a prototype, several model photos,

and an equipment drawing of the two cars required to carry the load. The author also lists the sources for the gun barrels (i.e the load).

A Modern Lumber Flat Car - the Old Fashioned Way

The author describes how he scratchbuilt a lumber flat car. Includes a parts list, a few photos, and scale drawings.

A Tale of Two Rail & Tie Cars Part Two

In this installment the author describes how he built the car out of styrene. Includes some drawings and construction photos.

AE&FR Flat Motor No.49

This is a follow-up to the article by the author in the May 1996 issue. This installment contains more information, some corrections to the previous article, prototype and model photos, and scale drawings of the car and its plow.

AF Heavyweight Hauler

The author describes how he built a Schnabel Heavy Weight Hauler look-alike from various A.F. parts

An Assembly Jig for Mass-producing Wooden-underframe Flat Cars

The author describes how he built a jig for making lots of flat cars.

An Easy-to-build Flatcar

This article describes how to scratchbuild a model of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad's flat car as it was built around the late 1890s.

An N Scale Depressed Center Flatcar

The author uses the GHQ pewter depressed center flat car to model a C&NW car as built in 1928. A prototype photo and several model photos are included, as well as a materials list. This list is necessary, because this article also describes how he built the large transformer load from scratch.

Auto Transport Car

The author covers the A.C. Gilbert #24566, which was interesting in that the catalog's road name didn't match the actual production road name. Includes two model photos.

Back-dated (shortened) Piggyback Flat

The author shortened Athearn's 85-foot flat car to 75 feet to make his V&O TOFC piggyback flat car. Includes one prototype and several model photos.

Build a Baby Opera Window Center-Beam Flatcar

For transporting lumber.

Build a Pennsy Flatcar from Scratch

The author describes in his usual step-by-step process how to scratchbuild a PRR FM 40-foot flat car. The article includes scaled and detail drawings, model photos, and one prototype photo showing the car carrying a load of dimensioned lumber.

Build a Soo Line Flatcar and a Transformer Load

Using two 40-foot Athearn flat cars, the author kitbashed this 54-foot flat car, including adding many details. The second half of the article covers how he built the transformer loads. Also includes prototype photos and scaled drawings of a Soo Line depressed-center flat car with transformer loads.

Build a Wood Frame Flat Car

The author describes how he built a truss-rod flat car. Includes several drawings, and a couple of photos.

Build Burlington Northern's Lumber Flat

Ernie describe how he built a model of this 65-foot BN finished-products lumber flat car. Includes a model and a prototype photo, and scaled drawings.

Building 30' Flat cars

Changing a kit into a prototypically-correct model.

Building a Fleet of Carter Brothers' Flat Cars

Scratchbuilding a good number of flat cars using a jig. Includes construction photos, diagrams, and completed photos.

Building a Mining Dump Truck Load

Flat car open loads. Prototype and model photos.

Building Traction Flat Trailers Part 2

The author describes how he builds a flat car for traction.

Bulkhead Flat And Frisco Plug Door Box Car

Two photos taken by the author of Stan Furmanak's scratchbuilt TTPX bulkhead flat car and a plug-door box car. Both were shown at the 2007 NASG Convention in Baltimore, MD.

Cast Your Own Freight Cars

The author wanted a number of 29-foot identical flat cars that were not commercially available, so he built a master, made the two-part mold, and made several castings. Includes a sidebar on how to make removable loads using magnets.

Conversion

The author describes how he converted in old A.C. Gilbert American Flyer flat car to "scale". Includes construction photos.

Convert a Lionel Flat to S Scale

The author describes how he converted a Lionel O-scale UP 9020 yellow flat car to S-scale.

Converting AF Flat Cars to Scale

The author describes how he found and converted several A.F. flat cars into scale models. Includes photos of some of the under-construction and completed models.

CP Rail's 89'-4" Flat Cars Protofile 66

The author describes how he modeled this long car using two MDC No. 1280 undecorated 60-foot flat cars.

Depressed Center Flat Cars

This article describes how the author weathered the C&NW # 48567 GHQ depressed center flat car.

Ex-PRR F41b in Lansdale, Pa.

Two photos of PRR #480047 found on August 2014.

Flat Car Loads

Several prototype photos of flat car loads.

Freelanced Narrow Gauge Flatcar

Using strip wood, the author built this narrow gauge flat car. With some adjustment, this car could also be built to fit standard gauge.

Heavy Loads CEBX 8OO

This article covers how the author tackled building a Schnabel car.

Hirail TOFC

Modeling trailer-on-flat-cars with some O-scale Lionel parts, and Ertl or similar trailers. Includes several model photos.

Improving Athearn's Piggyback Flatcar

The author describes how he made some changes to this kit to have it ride lower and improve operations.

Improving Weaver's 53' Flat Car

The author describes the details he improved on this car to make it a better representative model of a UP 70 ton Commonwealth Steel
Castings flat car.

Installing Sill Steps and Couplers on Rex Car Bodies

The author replaced the Rex sill steps on his flat cars and gondolas with those made by Grandt Line. The article also covers installing Kadee No. 5 couplers.

Kitbashed Logging Flats

The author converted some 40-foot Athearn flat cars to better fit his pre-1930s era. Drawings and close-up photos show all the work he did to do this conversion. A prototype photo of the Minarets & Western flat car is included.

Kitbashing a Durango & Silverton M.O.W. Flat Car with Load

Modeling a unique flat car.

Kitbashing a Micro-Trains 89' Flat Car

Modifying this car into a 75' Pennsy Truc-Train car, including shortening the car, installing wood planking, creating square mounting holes, and modifying the trailers on the car.

Kitbashing Scale Cars from Toy Bodies

How to convert an A.C. Gilbert American Flyer flat car into a "scale" model. Includes drawings showing how to modify the body, and includes a parts list.

Ma & Pa Flat Car #120

The author describes how he built this B.T.S. kit.

Marble Service Flatcars

After reading the John Nehrich article in the January 1986 issue of Model Railroader, the author followed the same approach to take two Athearn 40-foot flat car kits and built these cars. He added more rivets to the model by using CA glue rivet heads. Includes prototype and model photos.

Model of the Month

Schnabel flatcar.

Modeling a New Haven Piggyback Flat Car

After describing the prototype, the author describes how he took an Intermountain flat car to model this New Haven car. Includes several prototype and model photos.

Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad's Flat Car Fleet

This installment covers modeling the F30 class. Includes prototype and model photos. The author took a brass F31 model and cut it to the right length to model the F30.

Modeling The Pennsylvania Railroad's Flat Car Fleet Part 8

This installment covers the F31 and F31A classes. Contains extensive prototype history, some prototype and model photos, and scale diagram.

Modeling the Piggyback Cars of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western

Building the flat cars from parts of other kits.

Modeling the PRR F30E

The author shows how he scratchbuilt one of these cars. Includes model photos and construction detail drawings.

Modifying Walthers Depressed Center Flat Car

The article describes how the author added detailing to the basic model, matching its prototype. Includes a prototype photo and several close-up model photos.

Narrow Budget Narrow Gauge

Scratchbuilding a freelanced Sn3 flat car. Includes construction photos, diagrams, and a parts list.

Narrow Budget Narrow Gauge

Modified flat cars that were used for hauling logs, based on the scratchbuilt car documented in the February 1995 issue of this magazine.

New Decks for the F34 Flat Car

The author shares how he created etched brass decking for the F34 car.

Northern Pacific #65618

The author built a 89'4" flat car with stake pockets from a cast metal flat car by JnJ Trains. Photos only show the finished product.

Northern Pacific's Standard 52' Flatcar

This article describes the history of these flat cars, and includes drawings and many prototype photos (including frame-only photos).

Pacific Lumber Company Log Flats

A report on the first experience of 3D-printing a TPL flat car in S-scale. Includes prototype and model photos. Also provided is the parts list needed to complete the printed model.

Pennsylvania F36

Detailed information, drawings, and photos of this 50-foot flat car built starting in 1940.

Pennsylvania RR F30E Flatcar

Prototype photos and scaled drawings accompany a brief history about this car built in 1953/54.

Pre-Size Model Specialties Center Beam Flat CarCenter Beam Flat Car

After covering the prototype history of this lumber-carrying cars, the author describes and builds the Pre-Size Model Specialities' kit. Includes many close-up several photos.

Reading FCb Trailer Flat Car

After providing prototype information, the author describes how he built this trailer-carrying flat car model from an American Models' gondola. Includes drawings and photographs, as well as a parts list.

S Scale Class GR

This is a brief overview of the kit by Funaro & Camerlengo class GR offered by Central Hobby Supply of Syracuse NY.

Scale Scene

This article is about converting an American Flyer depressed-center flat to scale, and building a transformer load.

Scratchbuild a Depressed Center Flatcar

The author describes how he built a six-wheeled depressed-center flatcar using styrene and ABS plastic.

Scratchbuilding the F24 Flat Car

This article shows step-by-step how to scratchbuild this MOW car. He describes the tools he used to the various parts, so it is a good general article on scratchbuild freight cars as well.

Seaboard Bulkhead Flat 47109

The author describes how he built this bulkhead flat car from various parts, starting with an American Flyer flat car.

Smoky's Flat Car Kit a Deadringer of Prototype

The author reviews the Southern Railway 41-foot flat car kit by Smoky Mountain Model Works.

The PRR F33 Deep Well Flat Car

The author provides historical background and his description of building the Funaro & Camerlengo PRR F3 resin kit. Includes prototype and model photos, and how he built the large crate load.

The Straight & Narrow

(note that the article's page number is "20", but should have been 18) The topic is the construction of the BTS-09013 kit for a West Side Lumber Co.'s 24' flat car. Includes two photos.

Train Room Confessions

Covers how to build a 30-foot flat car. Learning how to build a flat car is the basis for building a gondola, box car, or reefer.

Weathering a Flat Car Deck

The author modifies an Intermountain flat car's deck to match the decrepit look of a prototype flat car that he was able to photograph from above. Includes prototype and model photos.

Well-hole Flatcars

Photos and scale drawings for Western Maryland 6010-11, C&O 80996-80999, and NYC 499086.