After some delay the Flexi-Van kit is now available www.nscalekits.com These cars were NYC's attempt to get started with containerization - and were suitable for the low headroom on their lines. Starting in 1958 the Flexi-Van system relied on the specialized Strick containers [36' and 40' were used] sliding onto special turntables in the mid point of each half of the Mark II Flexi-Van cars. NYC operated 1100 cars and the Milwaukee Road 77 Flexi-Van flats of various types. Seaboard Airline and WP also had some cars. In the early days, up to and including Penn Central times, the cars were used in special Flexi-Van trains, but later were also often used a head or tail end cars in US Mail business. They were used in trans continental passenger service until the mid 1970's. The N Scale Kits Flexi-Van is the Mark II version built by Strick. Decals for NYC and Milw are available as part of the kit. The 36' and 40' containers [the cars ran one each] are also available from Stone Creations http://stonenscalecreations.com/ Peter Harris N Scale Kits www.nscalekits.com
Jason Yes - we recieved our first trial cut at the start of this month. This was the fourth supplier we had tried - and have purchased the special plywood for! We are going to recut the chassis pattern and the rails now and should be ready to go very soon. Peter Peter Harris N Scale Kits www.nscalekits.com
To be honest, whilst there are a number of pictures of PC painted trailers - I have not got any of the Mark II Vans in PC paint scheme. The few that I have got, the Flexi-Vans are so dirty you cannot make any numbering or logos out! This is not an uncommon problem with skeleton cars - as you can see from the spine cars of today. We can have a guess at the PC paint scheme but have not released it for the Mark II cars - but will do so if you are interested - and have some PC car numbers that we can add! Decals for the 36' and 40' containers in the PC version are ready and printed. Peter Peter Harris N Scale Kits www.nscalekits.com
Did these cars end up VTTX flats? http://www.railcarphotos.com/Search.php?SearchAARType=P982&Search=Search Like these?
Hello Peter: I have often been asked if you have made any progress on, or are still planning to produce the Marine Industries 89'-4" trailer flats, the plans for which I provided back in 2009. Tim
Tim yes - it is still on our list. We have started making a pattern. Our first one did not work, but we know why, so have started over. I did have a sample ready for the NSE meet at Medford, but I did not get there, and felt it was not good enough anyway. We have another car in the works at present [and we have learned not to announce too early now] this will be the next one out of the pattern maker. Sorry it has taken so long. Peter Peter Harris N Scale Kits www.nscalekits.com
I am sure that there are more knowledgeable folks here than me. However, I do not think so. I think that the VTTX cars that you cite were G85 cars that were originally in use as Clejan compatible cars, that SP and some other roads ran. This system [and the Flexi-Van system] rapidly went out of favor as the hitch and piggyback lading became predominant. In the photo, You can see the substantial two parallel central spines that the Clejan trailers ran on. The TTX's Clejan cars continued in use for containers as VTTX cars. Peter Peter Harris N Scale Kits www.nscalekits.com
Thank you for persevering with these. I hope the sales make it worth the effort. I bought the decals for these from Microscale over a year ago.I will be purchasing at least two in a couple of weeks. Probably more later.
ATSF definitely had some of these cars, and they did show up in the Super C; they did have their own Flexi-van trailers bought secondhand, the only 'catch' I can see is that with my modeling era it's hard to tell when the date cutoffs were and apparently they were modified in '72 so that the turntable-thingies were removed. The Super C was often just loaded with NYC/Flexivan containers and trailers on conventional flats (look for the side doors on trailers and containers), it's sometimes difficult to tell because of the overall weathering you get running an intermodal train at 90mph, but they were in there. They appear to be exclusively for the mail loads, and apparently the side doors on the trailers were preferred for that. "- Piggyback and Containers by Davd J. DeBoer, pages 63-65. On the Santa Fe, skeletal flat cars of class Ft-65 were built in 1968 by Greenville car Company with Rockwell high-speed trucks. Built for hauling Flexi Vans, the cars saw plenty of action on the Super C trains. The cars were 87' 3" in length. The cars were modified for container loading in 1972. Cars can be loaded with two 40' containers, four 20' containers or one 40' and two 20'. All have since been retired." Here's a shot that shows both ATSF-exterior post side doors AND what looks like an ex-Flexi-van flat further back in the consist: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=363210&nseq=27 Look way back in this one, it's a pretty sure spot compared to 'conventional' COFC flats in front of it: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=244715&nseq=62 Pretty sure this is the 1972 rebuild, but yeah, this is definitely it: http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=68594 and look at the reinforcements and apparently the 'high speed' trucks in this shot: http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=47611 (about the time you think you've seen it all I've NEVER seen those before....anywhere, and you can't even hardly find another shot of those weirdo trucks!) Later shot with conventional trucks running empty showing the frames better: http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=47612 And that's shown as a 1981 photo so the Ft-65's lasted a lot longer this way than many other railroads. I'm not sure how much that lot varies from the model, but I don't consider myself enough of a rivet-counter to care; it sure looks to me like basic container racks and reinforcements were fitted onto the basic car frame and that's about all. Peter, did you realize ATSF had done this? I'm definitely in even if I do have to fabricate my own container racks to be accurate here. Trainworx is 'supposed' to be working on the Flexi-van schemes in NYC, they have a trailer body in ATSF already and it is pretty sweet, if hard to get. Roll to the bottom: http://www.train-worx.com/trailers-SantaFe.htm I've been evolving my own "Super C" forward in accuracy as equipment and trailers have come to be available, this is a great step forward, as I'm trying to get as much prototype variety in the train as possible and these are unusual and stand-out cars.
Wonder why there is so little interest in the New York Central in N scale. Such a variety of operations over such a large area. One would think it were an obscure short-line tucked away in some backwoods region.
The decals for a number of paint schemes for the Flexi-Van trailer containers are ready. 11 different paint scheme for the two different styles of Flexi-Van containers are available and now ready for shipping at www.nscalekits.com. I hope that these are OK. The decals go on to white or aluminum painted modeled containers. Three different and new containers are being worked on by Stone Creations - the Mail version [with side door], the open top [used by the P&LE] New, and very different, early autoracks used extensively by the NYC and Milwaukee Road on their Flexi-Van services are in the N Scale Kits workshop now. Peter Peter Harris N Scale Kits www.nscalekits.com
