This train was the first TOFC I put together way back when, before MicroTrains released their 89' flat cars. The first 10 cars feature Rapido flats manufactured by them in 1970's, representing the 85' cars in use at the time. The cars were not painted very well, and some were even frames for 86' single door auto parts cars. I did what I could with them, and they actually did not turn out so bad.
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SD26 is an Atlas product done with some very fine detail work. The prototype was an EMD SD24 on which Santa Fe began a major rebuildng in 1973. Locomotive technology had greatly inmproved since these units were built, and this major upgrade resulted in a boost of horsepower from 2400 to 2625 h.p. They remained in service into the 1980's.
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Close up of weathering on 4602. The SD24's after remanufacturing by Santa Fe were on the books as SD26's.
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EMD GP35 3445, weathered. This loco is still in its as delivered paint scheme. It was most assuredly repainted somewhere along the line, as these diesels were delivered betweem 1964-69. This class of diesel was the last to be fully repainted into the Yellow Warbonnet paint scheme.
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The GP30's had a unique look, with the dynamic brake sructure flowing into the top of the cab. Only class with this type of roofline. Custom painted, medium weathering, with side mounted air horns, roof antennae, and rotating beacon.
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Matson container shipped and already mounted on a container chassis. The CNW trailer is a Micro Trains 40 footer. This is the first of the Rapido cars I painted, decaled, with added trailer ramps at both ends. The trailer ramps were at each end of the car, and dropped when unloading trailers. A small truck would back up on the trailers, hook up, and drive the trailers off the flat car. Over time, giant cranes would lift the trailers off.
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"K" Line container on chassis, and custom painted Con Cor 40' trailer, with MT wheelsets added. The Rapido flats were all metal, very heavy, and combined with Micro Trains roller bearing trucks, roll considerably true thru all turnouts and superelevated curves.
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Some very old trailers, custom painted and decaled. Nearly all of the trailers were modified with Micro Trains wheelsets.
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| Another Rapido flat with custom trailers. |
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| And another. |
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| Still another, this time an ATSF flat, with MT trailers. |
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Two more very early trailers, custom painted, decaled and weathered.
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Mitsui OSK Lines container on chassis, and an old Con Cor 40' trailer heavily modified with aforementioned modifications.
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| Con Cor 40' trailers heavily modified as above. |
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| Last Rapido flat, with MT Santa Fe trailer and ConCor Santa Fe trailer, both customs. |
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| Something different! Two MT trailers, but we have a first sighting of BLMA models of the F89-J trailers, delivered in Trailer Train yellow and black. |
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These are beautiful models, whether in TTX brown or TTX yellow and black. I reviewed their recent released in a previous blog. Featured on this flat are Trainworx (TWX) PRR trailers.
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| Athearn forty footer and TWX "Piggy Back Service" trailer (with side door) on F89-J 89 foot trailer. |
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| Athearn BAR trailer, and TWX Rio Grande 40' trailer. |
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| Beautiful Centraila ATSF Caboose 999435. You can find a video of this train on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/sHFsGhMBWfI Thanks for checking out my blog! |
