flat car loads

Great article in a recent OGR on using hook and eyes and elastic band material for snug downs.  Also, black jewelry chain from craft stores like Michael's.

18" x 18" beams on a K-Line bulkhead flat car

Scale wheel sets on a K-Line flat car.

S-58/H-34 hulk on a weathered K-Line flat car.

DIVCO trucks on a K-Line flat car.

Die cast BB-157 and an Athearn truck on a K-Line flat car.  This load was too top heavy to run.

Weaver and BV Navajo trailers on a home built flat car.

If you use rubber cement the loads may be easily removed.  If you use a water soluble glue(Aleene's) you may place the car in water(after removing the trucks and couplers) to soften the glue and remove the load. 

John

@RParmentier posted:

I have recently purchased several flat cars and I am looking for ideas for loads and hints as to how to fix loads to bed. Thanks.

 

You know that you can go watch trains (rail fanning is done by many who don't even own one piece of model equipment - I know a bunch of them), or look on line for real, actual flatcar photos. Older cars/photos or newer ones, depending on what you want. 

A heavy armature being delivered to the end-user:

Note that the cribbing has since been repaired but I still need to install protective covering over the commutators.

Vehicle and military loads are always fun.  You can make models or find diecast (sometimes on sale).  I use homemade wheel chocks to keep them in place.  You can also use some scraps of wood to make crates.  I use thin gauge steel wire that I get at the hardware store for hold downs.

Sometimes "nothing" can make for an interesting "between loads" look. 

Here are some military loads on flat cars.The Tiger II is on a German O Scale flat car.

You can always get ideas from postwar Lionel flat cars, like metal pipes, logs, construction equipment,Christmas trees, cars, machinery, airplane and the list is only limited by your imagination.

Here is a very different idea borrowed from a car K-line once had of a tv news reporting car, but modified a lot. Add a mini wireless cam to a flat car that can broadcast to a receiver hooked up to your tv. Make it look like a news crew on board and paste on decals or cutout artwork to add to make the effect you want. Then you can have moving video on your tv as the car moves along.

Heres a menards 50' flat with 2  1/48 howitzer built up kits

Here are some of the Free State Junction Railway flat car loads. 

Ron

A concrete culvert pipe load cabled down to the deck of a Menard's flat car.

I had a garbage truck on my layout that just never looked right size-wise no matter what other vehicles were near it.  It found a new life being shipped from the manufacturer on a flatcar I bought for $5 at a train meet.  It's superglued into place with some wooden dunnage in front and behind the wheels.   It's dumpster is glued to a pallet I found in a bunch of toys at Dollar General for $3.

If you look closely, you'll see two chains underneath the garbage truck's front end.  They're necklace chain I found at Michael's Crafts which I threaded around the axle and through the flat car floor, then superglued into place.

Here's another view...

And a view of the garbage truck in shipment...

                                Alco trucks on Weaver 50' flat car with cribbing and chains.