Monday, January 28, 2013

1971 Santa Fe Super C (revised)

Back in September, I published a blog on the 1971 Santa Fe "Super C", a revolutionary freight train, offering TOFC/COFC shipments from LA to Chicago, and via NYC to New York, at passenger speeds. At  the times I put the video on TouTube, I had little in the offerings of trailers for that time period.  However, recently both Athearn and Trainworx have released a variety of 40' trailers that conform to that time period.  Here is my updated (backdated) version of the Super C as one might have seen it in 1971.
Santa Fe FP45's in passenger paint scheme.

The first flat is a Trainworx Trailer Train flat.  I custom painted this car as I never even saw the first release of these cars.  Lightly weathered, it carries on it's back a GN corrugated trailer with a side door.  This is a Trainworx (TWX) model and is quite detailed, as are all items from them.  The ICG drop trailer is also from TWX, a first of it's kind in N scale.
The next flat car is also from TWX and is a UP model.  Both trailers are also from TWX and are every bit as detailed as their other releases.  Both trailers and flat are slightly weathered.
Again, a custom painted TWX flat with two exterior post Athearn trailers.  Thes are also quite detailed and worthy of praise.  The first is a Santa Fe trailer with no promotional markings while the second is from Penn Central.

Here is the first BLMA Trailer Train 89' flat, a model of the F89-J.  It is a model of the original as delivered paint scheme beginning in the 1960's.  All of the trailers in train have been weathered to some degree.  The trailers here are as PC Athearn release and a TWX American President Lines trailer.
Lots of BLMA Trailer Train flats in this consist.  Trailers here are both SF, one exterior post from Athearn and a drop frame from TWX.  Both feature the Santa Fe "Four Feather" logo.  Remember, Santa Fe has many Native American references.  Many Native Americans worked for the Santa Fe throughout it's history, and the Santa Fe often paid homage to Native Americans.
Santa Fe corrugated side trailer from TWX.  This is the original Piggy Back Service paint scheme.  The second trailer is a Vermont Railway trailer from Micro Trains.


Beautiful Western Pacific drop frame trailer with side door from Trainworx and another exterior post Santa Fe trailer from Athearn.
 
Another fabulous drop frame trailer from TWX and a custom painted and decaled Micro Trains 40' trailer.
Western Pacific offering from TWX and A CNW 40 footer from Athearn.

Two Milwaukee Road 40' trailers from TWX.  The drop frame trailer is particular interesting.  Again, incredible detail. The flatcar is a custom painted and decaled trailer from Trainworx.

 
Two TWX Pennsylvania RR side door exterior post trailers from TWX.
 
Exterior post trailer from TWX and the Athearn Santa Fe trailer.  Note the Santa Fe logo has five "Feathers", the fifth promoting Santa Fe's air freight.  The air freight was a short time transportation effort by the Santa Fe, but The Feds decided the railroads should not be involved in air freight.  Thus, the involvement and logo both were short lived.


SF TWX release and Athearn B&O exterior post van.  Note the "cutsie" "TOFCEE SERVICE" posted on the side of the trailer. Pleeeeeeeeease!

Nice Rio Grande release from TWX and a just as nice BAR trailer from Athearn.  Both of these companies stepped up to fill a void in N Scale modeling with the release of many quality trailers from both the 70's and especially the 1960's.  Thanks to both.
Finally, a caboose taken from the scrap heap, added Micro Trains end railings, MT trucks, smokestack, and couplers, a faded paint job, and Micro scale decals, and ta-da, a respectable Santa Fe waycar!

A video of this train can be found on YouTube at:

                                               http://youtu.be/z1AtRa9YKtI

Thanks for looking up my blog.
 

2 comments:

  1. I like the look of the Super C with 3 FP45s still in passenger paint, but there would have been a very short period where it was very likely to see this. By August, and probably sooner, the FP45s were already being repainted into the freight blue and yellow, and by the end of 1971 there were only 3 of them left in passenger paint.

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    1. Yes, very short. 5944 skipped the blue paint with yellow trim and went diredctly inot the Yellow Warbonnet around 11-72; 5946 and 5947 between July 1971 and March 1972. Thanks for your interest.

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