Here's what Wheels of Time has to say about these 2015 models -
There was a remarkable housing boom in the US during the post-war period, and getting lumber from the lumber mills of the Pacific Northwest to lumber yards across the nation became a bit of a challenge due to a shortage of usable equipment. Solid trains of lumber and large cuts of lumber-carrying flat cars were the norm, and a common sight in the west were solid Southern Pacific trains of lumber crawling up the Tehachapi grade at a snail's pace - or just empty strings of flat cars returning from southern California winding through the mountain passes on their way back to the Willamette Valley. These solid empty trains were designated by the SP as 'XMUG' (an abbreviation for Empty Eugene, OR). Further, solid cuts of lumber cars from the Willamette Valley travelled east with SP partner roads like the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Burlington Northern and Union Pacific (to name a few).
The Prototypes -
- In 1953 and 1954, the Southern Pacific Equipment Co built over a thousand 70-ton all-welded fish-belly flatcars for SP based on their successful riveted 70-ton flat car design. These were classified as F-70-10. We will bring you both the original as-built car numbers as well as the updated late-50's versions. A decade later, Gunderson Brothers Engineering Corp (GBEC) built over 1100 similarly designed cars (designated as SP class F-70-12). In 1964, SP purchased another 400 cars from Gunderson with "stepped" bulkheads (designated as class F-70-26). These bulkhead flats were the first in the series to have bulkheads installed by the builder (as opposed to being retrofit later). They were built to carry plaster board needed in housing construction, but were also widely used for carrying lumber.
- The Alaska Railroad (ARR) also ordered copies of "SP" Gunderson cars for loads such as ocean cargo containers, vehicles & tractors, military equipment and log & lumber loads. The ARR purchased both the standard flat as well as the "stepped" bulkhead flat cars for their operations. Wheels of Time will bring you these ARR cars too.
- Other similarly designed 53'-5" welded fish-belly steel flats were used by other roads, including those built Pullman-Standard and Bethlehem Steel. We will bring you these cars as well.
Features -
- Realistic design adhering to the prototypes
- Proper prototype ride height
- Multiple car numbers with sharp lettering
- Lumber loads - some appropriate for 1950's era railroading, and others appropriate for the 1960's (and on to the present day)