Wheels of Time 50181 N Scale 53'6" General Service Flatcar Burlington Northern BN
3 Pack
These 53'-6" flatcars were constructed with a welded fish belly steel frame in contrast to the cast steel GSI frame. The fish belly frame provided an optimal distribution of tension and compression forces from the center of the car to the bolsters. Think of it as a bridge. In addition, fabricating a welded frame was far less labor intensive than an equivalent riveted frame. The welded frame proved extremely durable holding up to rugged service. As these flat cars aged-out due to ARR interchange age limit, they found it's way into many years in maintenance-of-way service. A number of builders constructed these flat cars such as the Pacific Car & Foundry (P.C. & F.), Marine Industries (Canada), Pullman-Standard, Bethlehem Steel, and including railroad car shops such as the Western Pacific.
They were designated as FM by the AAR mechanical people. They carried anything bulky that can't be placed in a box car - from finished lumber to machinery equipment.
Burlington Northern inherited a batch of Great Northern Pacific Car & Foundry 53’-6” as trailer on flatcars. They were all reverted back to general purpose use. Number 636050 was assigned to Barge 2 Idler Service in Seattle. These PC&F flats were welded fish belly cars built in Feb. 1954. Ex-BN 635172-635196; exx-GN 60209-60224; nee-GN 65500-65699.
FEATURES:
- Properly weighed cars for smooth derailment-free running
- Proper ride height
- Body-mounted knuckle couplers
- 33" metal wheels for smooth rolling
- Internal steel plate so loads can be attached with magnets
- Extra fine details
- Sharp paint, lettering, car numbers to match the real thing
- Multiple car numbers for fleet owners for realistic train operations
NOTE: Road number may vary from picture shown.