Walthers announces its Gold Line 89' All-Purpose Flatcars. These models, based on common cars used from the 1970s to the present, will be available with either Pullman-Standard or ACF-style trailer hitches, plus container shoes in up and down positions.
Fast Facts: The introduction of the 89' flat car in 1960 opened the door for a new generation of piggyback service. Equipped with a pair of collapsible hitches, these big cars could easily handle older 35' and/or newer 40' trailers, the standard of the era. The universal hitches also eliminated the need for complex tie-downs, allowing trains to be loaded faster.
During the 1970s intermodal containers became increasingly popular and railroads began experimenting with new loading methods using special cranes to load trailers and containers. This helped lead to the development of all-purpose cars capable of handling both containers and trailers of various sizes.
The all-purpose cars featured flush decks, collapsible trailer hitches and collapsible container pedestals. The cars were capable of handling 20' and 40' containers and trailers up to 40', but when 45' trailers became the standard in the 1980s the hitches were moved to accommodate the longer trailers which overhang the car ends by a few inches. These cars usually carry lettering such as "Twin 45" to denote this hitch arrangement. In addition, by the 1980s drive-on style trailer loading (called circus loading) was mostly a thing of the past, so bridge plates were eliminated. For years to come, these cars were the backbone of intermodal fleets on many railroads and many are still in use.
Features: Like the prototypes, Walthers Gold Line 89' All-Purpose Flatcars will be versatile additions to HO railroads. The cars, based on Bethlehem-built prototypes, are available with either Pullman-Standard style hitches or ACF-style hitches. Each car comes with hitches in the up and down positions so modelers can apply their choice. In addition, 32 container pedestals are included with half in the up position and the remainder in the down position. As with the trailer hitches, these parts allow modelers to attach the appropriate pedestals to support their favorite container arrangement. These parts choices allow loading the cars with up to four 20' containers or two 40' containers. Many railroads loaded two 20' or a single 40' container and a trailer on the same car and the supplied hitches and pedestals allow modelers to replicate this practice. Other features include modeler-applied wire grab irons, RP-25 metal wheels and Proto MAX™ metal knuckle couplers.
Gold Line All-Purpose 89' Flatcar w/ACF Hitches
Scale: HO
Retail Price: $39.98
Expected Delivery Date: January 2010
932-40801 TTX TTWX #974898 (Pre-2007 TTX Logo)
932-40802 TTX TTWX #974238 (Pre-2007 TTX Logo)
932-40803 TTX TTWX #993511 (Pre-2007 TTX Logo)
932-40804 TTX TTWX #991177 (Trailer Train)
932-40805 TTX TTWX #973458 (Trailer Train)
932-40806 TTX TTWX #982571 (Trailer Train)
932-40807 FEC #2720
932-40808 FEC #2749
932-40809 FEC #2786
932-40810 H&S Railroad #902074
932-40813 WC #36276
932-40814 WC #36274
932-40815 WC #36278
932-40800 Undecorated
Gold Line All-Purpose 89' Flatcar w/PS Hitches
Scale: HO
Retail Price: $39.98
Expected Delivery Date: March 2010
932-40821 TTX TTWX #979315 (Pre-2007 TTX Logo)
932-40822 TTX TTWX #979083 (Pre-2007 TTX Logo)
932-40823 TTX TTWX #972940 (Pre-2007 TTX Logo)
932-40824 Trailer Train TTWX #972972 (yellow)
932-40825 Trailer Train TTWX #979825 (yellow)
932-40826 Trailer Train TTWX #980645 (yellow)
932-40827 FEC #4232 (brown)
932-40828 FEC #4244 (brown)
932-40829 FEC #4285 (brown)
932-40830 H&S Railroad #902528 (red)
932-40833 WC #36208 (brown)
932-40834 WC #36239 (brown)
932-40835 WC #36266 (brown)
