Oh BTW, I found my article from RMC magazine (August 1990) listing the TT markings: ATTX - 75' all purpose flatcar (center and side tiedowns) BTTX - 89' flatcar equipped with bi-level auto rack) CTTX - 89' low level flatcar equiped with partially enclosed autorack DTTX - 265' Five platform, articulated well-type COFC car capable of carrying double stack containers ETTX 89'4" low level flacar equipped with totally enclosed tri-level autorack FTTX 89'4" flatcar equipped with tie down devices for loading automobile or truck frames GTTX 85' and 89' General American built flat car equipped with collapsable hitches and bridge plates for transportation of trailers HTTX 60' Flatcar equipped with 38 heavy duty chains, snubbers and turnbuckles for carrying earthmoving equipment ITTX 89'4" flatcar equipped with special fold away pedistals and 62 tie down winches with chains and bridge plates for carrying trailer tractors saddle back style. JTTX 50 - 89'4" flatcar with misc devices applied for lessor special service KTTX 89'4" "Twin-45" standard level flat car with fixed hitches at both ends for handling two 45' trailers back to back (over head loading only) LTTX 89' Low level flatcar equipped with collapsible hitches and bridge plates. MTTX 60-85' 60 foot flatcar with stake pockets for gen service or 85' flatcar with 16 stake pockets, 8 per side for tansporting long pipe. NTTX 249' 5-unit articulated COFC car for transporting containers (spine car) OTTX 60' Flat car equipped with 36 chains, with snubbers each secured to movable and retractable tie down winches in for longitudinal channels for tansporting agricultural equipment PTTX 60' flat car equipped with bulkheads space 48'6" apart for transporting plywood and wallboard etc. RTTX 89'4" "Twin-45/Tripple 28" standard level flatcar with fixed hitches on ends of car and retractable hitch at center of car. For handling two 45' or three 28' trailers (overhead loading) STTX 89'4" "Twin-45" standard level flat car for handling two 45' trailers, equipped with sliding bridge plates for circus style loading TTAX 89'4" Standard level flat carequipped with foldaway container pedistals and hitches for TOFC and/or COFC service. TTBX 89'4" flat car equipped with bi-level auto rack, rack can be either open or shielded on the sides but does not have roof or doors. TTCX 60' and 89' flat car equipped with container pedistals for COFC service. TTDX 89'4" flatcar equipped with 16 tie down winches with chains and bridge plates for transporting military vehicles TTEX 181'9" two unit TOFC car for hauling four 45' trailers or three 57' trailers (over head loading only) TTFX 187'6" four platform TOFC car capable of carrying four 45-trailers TTGX 89'4" flatcar equipped with totally enclosed bi-level auto racks TTHX 60' 60-foot flat car equipped with 18 heavy duty chains anchored to stake picket astings TTJX 68' 68-foot 100-ton flatcar equipped with 22 screw type tie-down devices and stake pockets. TTKX 89' flatcar equipped with hinged "B" deck tri-level auto rack. Rack can be either open or shielded on the sides but doesn not have roof or end doors TTLX 89' "Twin-45" low level flatcar specially equipped by particpant railroads with container pedistals or fixed hitches for assigned corridoor. TTMX 68' 68-foot 100-ton flatcar equipped with stake pockets and lading strap anchors for general service TTNX 89'4" flat car equipped with bi-level auto rack without end doors but with sides and roof panels. TTPX 68' 68-foot flat car equipped with builheads spaced 62 feet apart and 34 transverse tied down anchors with chains used for transporting plywood etc. TTRX 89'4" flatcar equipped with fixed tri-level rack without a hinged "B" deck. Rack can be either open or shielded on the sides but does not have roof or door. TTSX 89'4" flat car equipped with coverless enclosed bi-level autorack. TTUX 50'6" Single platform TOFC car with single axle trucks capable of carrying one trailer 40-48 foot and up to 102-inches wide w/ nose mounted refridge unit,over head loading only. TTVX 89'4" Low level flatcar equipped with tri-level auto rack with shielded sides without end doors and without or without roofs TTWX 89'4" Twin-45 standard level flat car equipped with fold away container pedistals and hitches for TOFC and/or COFC service. TTX 50'-89' flatcar equipped with one or two hitches for TOFC service. TTXZ 64' to 76' 100-ton bulkhead car equppied with center partition and winch type tie down system for carrying lumber products. UTTX 256' Five platform articulated TOFC car capable of carrying one trailer per platforum 40-48 feet and up to 102 inches wide w/ front mounted refridge unit, over head loading only VTTX 60' and 85' flatcar equipped with fixed container pedistals for COFC service only WTTX 89'4" "Twin-45" standard level flat car with tow hitches for TOFC service XTTX 89'4" flat car equipped with 4 hitches for TOFC service ZTTX 85' flat car equipped with 30 stake pockets for transporting long poles or pipes In view of the new Walthers 89' Bethlehem flush deck flat cars coming and Atlas 89' flush deck coming next, this information might be of interest.
For what it's worth, DTTX is now used for all double-stack well-cars, and I believe in 1990 that already included single unit cars and five unit cars of varrying length. NTTX is similarly used for all spine cars.
Yep, the DTTX and NTTX descriptions describe well cars and spine cars respectively. The 1990 descriptions seems to indicate 5-platform cars, not sure if it now includes single unit stand alone cars or not.
Here is the listing of Atlas 89' flat cars from the German Website - they haven't bee officially announced at Atlas yet but test shots have been shown at some train shows: 20000017 89´4 Flatcar Erie Western white car, black lettering #250050 US-$ TBA / € TBA / 20000018 89´4 Flatcar Erie Western white car, black lettering #250065 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000019 89´4 Flatcar Erie Western white car, black lettering #250083 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000020 89´4 Flatcar Erie Western white car, black lettering #250099 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000021 89´4 Flatcar Southern Railroad black car, yellow lettering #50100 US-$ TBA / € TBA / 20000022 89´4 Flatcar Southern Railroad black car, yellow lettering #50129 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000023 89´4 Flatcar Southern Railroad black car, yellow lettering #50200 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000024 89´4 Flatcar Southern Railroad black car, yellow lettering #50299 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000025 89´4 Flatcar Florida East Coast black car, white lettering #2700 US-$ TBA / € TBA / 20000026 89´4 Flatcar Florida East Coast black car, white lettering #2764 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000027 89´4 Flatcar Florida East Coast black car, white lettering #2801 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000028 89´4 Flatcar Florida East Coast black car, white lettering #2949 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000029 89´4 Flatcar Trailer Train yellow car, black & white lettering #974325 US-$ TBA / € TBA / 20000030 89´4 Flatcar Trailer Train yellow car, black & white lettering #974437 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000031 89´4 Flatcar Trailer Train yellow car, black & white lettering #974730 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000032 89´4 Flatcar Trailer Train yellow car, black & white lettering #974834 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000033 89´4 Flatcar TTX Company yellow car, black & white lettering #603724 US-$ TBA / € TBA / 20000034 89´4 Flatcar TTX Company yellow car, black & white lettering #604130 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000035 89´4 Flatcar TTX Company yellow car, black & white lettering #604345 US-$ TBA / € TBA 20000036 89´4 Flatcar TTX Company yellow car, black & white lettering #604642 US-$ TBA / € TBA
Actually, NTTX cars are container-only spines. 48 and 53' multi-purpose spine cars are given TTAX reporting marks and 57' spine cars are given TTRX marks. Russ
No argument there. The list I posted is pretty clear that NTTX are COFC spine cars. Well, I think COFC was used loosely there - as in container only - not the "Flat Car" part. That list is from a 1990 two part article on the Trailer Train company.
Some follow up information from Jim Eager: By quick count there were some 7,260 tofc-only TTX flush-deck flats, 4,635 of them built by Bethlehem, almost all of them matching the Walthers model. There were some 13,540 all-purpose tofc/cofc TTAX flush-decks, only 2,200 of them built by ACF, and 2,130 of them were ASH10s with notched side sill jacking pads that definitely do *not* match the Atlas model, at least not without filing notches in the model's side sills. Even ignoring the carbuilder and consequent detail differences (most notably the shape of the jacking pad), the TTAXs outnumber the TTXs by less than a 2 to 1. I'd hardly call that rare. Moreover, the TTAXs were assigned to roads that saw a lot of container traffic, while the TTXs were assigned to roads that saw little container traffic, so depending on where you look the TTAXs could be rare. Now, if you are talking about post 1981 when both 45ft vans and containers became far more common, and Trailer Train began converting TTAXs to TTWXs and converting TTXs to WTTXs AND putting autoracks on them, then that's a whole 'nother story. In that era, yes, you would want more TTWXs. Bottom line, you'll need both cars. And if Walthers does the all-purpose tofc/cofc version, which they have said they have the ability to do, then you will need a lot more Walthers cars as there were 6,390 Bethlehem-built TTAXs.
