Articulated flat cars for Trailer service?

[wcfn100]

I came across this photo from the Kansas Historical Foundation (lots of nice ATSF pictures if you haven't been there) and I noticed something that looked odd.

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/227093/page/1

At center bottom, there are two shorter flat cars that appear to be connected as one car.

Now I know that flat cars were connected for tractors and other farming implements because the CGW did it (MNS too), and I know other types of cars like reefers were 'articulated' because Rath did it. And of course Athearn did the coupled Airslides - and there are other examples.  But I've never seen or heard anything on trailer flats being this way.  I'm going to check my '67 ORER and see if it's listed under ATSF since it's their yard, but was wondering if anyone has seen this before?


Jason

[wcfn100]

Okay, moving through the collection, I think the same cars are in this picture -

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/227036/page/1

Here too-

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/227460/page/1

What the heck are those things in the center or the deck?

Jason

[C855B]

... What the heck are those things in the center or the deck?

A "handy" box of either wheel chocks, or maybe pads to keep the landing gear from breaking through the wood decking.

Interesting find. I do not recall seeing those cars in operation (my serious railfanning started ~1970), so very likely they were gone soon after those pics.

[wcfn100]

So I found the cars (I'm pretty sure), flats 89899-89999 were articulated flats setup for TOFC service (except 89997-89999 which were for tractors).

Freight cars... 100 times more interesting than locomotives.   

Jason

[Chris333]

So those plates between the cars stay down?

[jagged ben]

Neat pictures, and justification for buying more Athearn N scale trailers ...

Anybody know what trucking company that is in the bottom right of the first photo, beginning with the large 'S' and partially cut off?

[James Costello]

Anybody know what trucking company that is in the bottom right of the first photo, beginning with the large 'S' and partially cut off?

Looks like a Seaboard Razorback to me:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1967483

[nkalanaga]

I wouldn't mind having one of those Seaboard trailers, with either Seabord or SCL reporting marks.  SBD is a little too new for 1974.

Trainworx:  Hint, hint, hint?

[jagged ben]

Looks like a Seaboard Razorback to me:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1967483

Aha.  Thanks.

[lajmdlr]

The plates between the cars are called "bridge" plates. They were on either side of the cars for circus style loading before "lifts" (seen below flats in 1st image) were used to load the cars. Don't have the book on Santa Fe flat cars which should have a section on those articulated flats. Trailer Train had/has articulated 89' flats they call "Long Runners". Those can carry 53" trailers w/ one spanning the two flats. Wonder if the Santa Fe ones could that?

[wcfn100]

The plates between the cars are called "bridge" plates. They were on either side of the cars for circus style loading before "lifts" (seen below flats in 1st image) were used to load the cars.

Yes, normally, but this is a single, car width plate between two permanently coupled cars.  In the case of the CGW articulated flats, it was called an 'apron'.  Presumably it would be fixed to one car and allowed to slide on the other.

Still looking for anyone with the ATSF Warbonnet modeleing magazine that has the article on these. 

Jason

[wcfn100]

Well thanks to Dave (railnerd) and a coupler guys off the STMFC, I got a bunch of information.

The short story is as follows.

The FT-16's were made in 1959 using of two 44' FT-M's built in 1926.  About 100 cars were made.  The cars were permanently coupled and the car ends at the center of the two car set were extended a bit to close the gap and a metal apron floated over the remaining space.  At some point in the 60's that complicated pulley system for setting the hitch was replaced with a more traditional TOFC kingpin hitch, which makes Mike's guess about that box in the middle being equipment very likely as it isn't there with the new hitch.

Unfortunately, there is no 44' flat cars in N.  If I just had to do this, I'd see how bad the RC 42' flats look with trailers on them and go from there.

Along with the FT-16's, I asked about some 60' ATSF FT-T flats that were used at Waterloo for JD tractor loading and got a bunch of good info about those too so they may be ahead on the very long list of cars to build.


Jason

[James Costello]

@wcfn100 another shot of these cars:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/M-Orig-Slide-ATSF-Santa-Fe-50-039-Flatcar-89989-w-C-amp-EI-Drop-Bottome-Trailer-1974-/362237574150?_ul=AU&nma=true&si=qVckDWKKlB30YsHxYg3qIKXLmtc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

If the auction disappears I grabbed a screenshot.

[wcfn100]

Cool, thanks for the link.  I like that trailer too. 

Jason