American Z Line has announced the immediate availability of two new body styles! The first release is 2420 cu ft waffle side gondolas. These cars feature intricate pad on printing, AZL roller bearing trucks, and separately applied photo etched placards when applicable. The first road name is CSXT. A runner pack of four gondolas and a single has been released. The set is item #90246-1. The road numbers are: 363149, 363164, 363159, 363184. The MSRP is $117.00. The single car is item #91246-1. The road number is 363185. The MSRP is $32.00. The second all new body style is PC&F beer cars. These cars feature intricate pad printing, excellent undercarriage detail and AZL's roller bearing trucks. The first release is D&RGW (Golden West Service). A runner pack and single have been released. The runner pack is item #90266-1. The road numbers are: 50841, 50803, 50848, 50831. The MSRP is $120.00. The single car is item #91266-1. The road number is: 50815. The MSRP is $34.00. Dealers orders are in transit and will be arriving soon! Rob Kluz
Hal an I love waffles. We pour the syrup and eat evry bit of them. But Hal, my grandson is too young for beer.
Why do they call them beer cars? Or is the answer that obvious but I'm just too........... Inquiring mind needs more input.
One reason is because for most of its life D&RGW was the only railroad that serviced the Coors plant in Golden (on the western edge of Denver). These special cars were filled to capacity with cold, fresh Coors beer and immediately sent in transit. The beer was bottled (canned) at like 32 degrees and meant to be kept refrigerated until consumed by the purchaser. The beer cars thus filled would only lose 1degree a day in transit, keeping the beer fresh and cold for delivery. Coors had no preservatives added, so refrigeration was a condition of sale and distribution. At that time this one (and only) Coors plant supplied all the beer it sold nationally. So ... beer cars and the D&RGW became famous. No doubt all the breweries that ship their product by rail use them now too.
No problem, here is some more information for you! Beginning in 1977, Pacific Car and Foundry (PC&F) released a heavily insulated 62' box car with internal, air-bag loading devices and 20" travel, sliding-sill under frame. These cars affectionately became known as "Beer Cars" for the refreshing cargo that they frequently carried. The Santa Fe cars' uses included hauling Gallo wine out of Modesto, Calif. Their back hauls included cold cream from Chesebrough-Pond in Clinton, Conn., and processed cherries from Grawn, Mich. These cars could be found at just about every major brewery. They were especially popular at Coors Brewery in Golden, CO, as Coors did not pasteurize their product and required brewery to retail refrigeration. Beer would be loaded into the cars at about 34 degrees, and the heavily insulated cars would only rise about one degree per day during transit. Beer was loaded two palates high with a honeycomb cardboard buffer between them. Airbags were used to insure the palates did not shift during transit. Our AZL 62' PC&F Insulated Box Cars (Beer Cars) feature 100 ton roller bearing trucks with metal wheels and AutoLatch couplers. Underside parts include separately applied framing and details. Our micro printing is multi-colored and detailed as always. Separately applied brake wheel and prototypical length coupler shanks round out this outstanding car. All new tooling, including the first model to use out 13mm length coupler trucks (made specifically for this car) Enjoy! -Rob(A) AZL
Hal an I enjoy the back story of the beer car. Thank David F and Mister Albritten. We want to know the background of the waffle cars. Did they really carry waffles? Do they feature separately applied syrup? Do the waffle cars come with Z scale waffle?
Thanks guys for the info update. Great looking cars and since I like GWS, I've got to get me some of these beauties. No beer here.....unless it's rootbeer. )
Looks great! (and thanks for the short gondolas, especially) but what's with all the long rolling stock? Looks really crowded on all the 195/220mm track. Not many have the larger radii or layouts. Is this what the box car should like like in a few years? http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=777874 .
From what I have read, it was a BN line that went from Denver to the Coors plant. BN used to use 3 SDP40s on the trains of beer cars and empty grain and tankcars.
Ike, you are correct. That is why I said "for most of its life". In fact, the first identified beer cars that I remember seeing lined up at the Coors plant we're BN. But once interchanged D&RGW (and BN) were the major carriers of beer cars. D&RGW, however, saturated Colorado more thoroighly than BN.
I wish people would remember, that before it was BNSF, and before it was BN, it was CB&Q! On these tracks ran the California and the Denver Zephyrs. Now, if you are going to do the beer thing, before around 1981, Coors was not allowed to be sold east of the Mississippi. IF you did, it was considered bootlegging. If you want to run beer to Georgia during the time of BN, you will have to use a 1977 Trans Am, not one of these cars.
So my question is, does anyone have any pictures of prototype gondolas like these? In anything besides SP? Or are they something made because they were made in HO and N?
Sorry, Ike., I did make it sem that way. My reflections were of many beer cars on many Rio Grande trains. They seemed constant. As a Grande fan I treasured these meMories. Hats off to BN.
Ok, I went to my source book and rechecked my facts and I was wrong. D&RGW never served the Coors plant directly. Don't know how I got that wrong all these years. My apologies.