Con-Cor N scale bulk head flat cars ?

[CoalPorter]

Are these accurate for anything ? I don't know when they were made, but I
have a few and they look kind of different. Are they a north American prototype?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I have not come across a bulkhead that is straight halfway, then tapers so dramatically at the top. The centerbeam version is totally wrong.

Stick with the MTL or ExactRail bulkheads. You will be glad you did.

[bbussey]

Could have sworn that it is based on a Southern prototype, but I could be wrong.

[Denver Road Doug]

BN has one that is sorta kinda close.   Only one I've ever seen that the Con-Cor cars are close to.   It's still a stretch, but I have one.  I'll try to dig up the photo I found.

[nkalanaga]

Daniel:  Yes, the centerbeam version is hopeless.  As for the basic version, there are quite a few "close, but no cigar" cars.  Most are either shorter, built on 50 - 54 foot flats, or longer, 60 ft or so.  I cut the bulkheads off mine, built a new flatcar between them, and made a GN aluminum ingot car.  The bulkheads themselves aren't an uncommon style for the 1960s, although whether there is an exact prototype I have no idea.  The GN had several hundred cars with similar bulkheads, in multiple series, although none are a match for the CC car.  Dig through the GN's 160xxx and 161xxx cars and there are several possibles.

[Denver Road Doug]

This is the closest thing I could find but I thought it captured the look while being "different" so I have one.   Probably gonna lose my rivet counter card for it....   
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=535499

Did a little comparison montage...
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[nkalanaga]

Doug:  That's one of the ex-GN aluminum ingot cars, and is about as close as I've found.  The GN also had several hundred similar cars without the risers for ingot service, which made the decks closer to the CC car, but the general appearance was about the same.

If one wants to use the CC car, the easiest improvement to make is to cut the centerbeam channels from the bulkheads.  A chisel blade does the job nicely, and if the touchup paint doesn't match exactly, that's what weathering is for.  The bulkheads tended to get banged up anyway.

Are the CC cars still being sold, or are most of you finding them on auction sites?

[mu26aeh]

I wanted to go to Spookshow's website to find that car for info and didn't find it ?  Did I miss it or is it not there ?  Also, at same site, I didn't find the Walthers ballast car either.

[Frisco Larry]

The Con-Cor car is on Spookshow's site, "60' bulkhead flat car".  The Walthers ballast car seems to be missing.  Correction, both styles of Walthers ballast cars are under gondola.  Seems to me they both should have been under MOW

[mu26aeh]

The Con-Cor car is on Spookshow's site, "60' bulkhead flat car".  The Walthers ballast car seems to be missing.

That's what I get for looking for it around midnight 

[jmlaboda]

Could have sworn that it is based on a Southern prototype, but I could be wrong.

At best only loosely based on some SOU pulpwood cars... but thankfully not nearly as bad as the Concor extended vision caboose.  Might be able to be used to build some pulpwood cars from them but I would bet that you could do better starting from scratch.

[nkalanaga]

If it was like many of Con-Cor's later freight cars I suspect it probably doesn't have a prototype.  If you need cars for a freelance railroad, or private owner, they would probably be fine, as they don't look unreasonable.

[spookshow]

That's what I get for looking for it around midnight 

Don't feel bad, I had never even heard of this car until yesterday (at which point I added it to my website). I guess it must've been a "one and done" from Con-Cor as I can't find any reference to any production after the early 90's.

Cheers,
-Mark