Custom built O scale depressed center flatcar patterned after the GSI cast steel flatcars
This O scale car has an overall length of 58 scale feet. The center platform is 28 scale feet in length. The model is similar to the General Steel Industries one-piece cast steel underframe flatcar having a "perforated" deck.
This model was handcrafted. Other than the use of a Dremel tool the model was made using ordinary hand tools on a kitchen table. The "perforated" deck required the most effort to achieve the "see through" look of the prototype car.
Prototype data from ExactRail:
General Steel Industries (GSI) offered one-piece cast-steel underframes in which the sill, body bolsters, cross bearers, draft pockets, couplers and carriers were combined into a single steel casting. These underframes were popular for Depressed Center Flats because the design maximized load strength while minimizing vertical height of fabricated underframes.
