Flat Car Loads

Here’s my latest project. A fire truck mounted on a P&LE 50 foot Lionel flat car.

I bought a K-line flat with pup trailers a while back and found out that it was too tall to run on my main level. I had a couple of Lionel trailer frames so......

I've shared previously but my All Nations track cleaner with a full scratch-build body. The large pipes were from a Lionel flat car but everything else was done with Plastruct parts and styrene.

Bob

Here is a wrecked trolley body being rescued from the scrapper to become a bait shack.

Lego "transformer" in a Lionel F9 well flatcar.

Lego submarine on a MTH Rail King depressed center flatcar

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This is a short Lionel flatcar from one of their very inexpensive sets.  It actually had crane attached that was beyond repair so I turned it into a wood side gondola or flat car with side boards, whichever you prefer.  A variety of items make up the load, some wooden barrels, a couple of plastic crates, some wire spools and some LEGO like building block sacks.

An old cast-bronze version of the All-Nation (or earlier manufacturer) four-axle depressed-center flat; I have absolutely no idea of what the load really represents; however, the "armature?" shaft does turn (in either direction) but with some mechanical resistance.:

As you can see, someone did an excellent job of milling the frame for the KDs:

At some point in time, I will re-mount the draftgear boxes back toward the center of the car to avoid the "Hydra-Cushion" appearance that it now has.

EDIT: The car weighs close to three pounds.

MPC and postwar era flatbeds and gondolas repainted after chemical staining.

the scrap loads are bits of leather, plastic, tubing, etc, and metal that I snipped up in small random bits with a liberal coating of dulling/matte spraypaint to keep it from getting loose on the table. the aluminum and wood was cut to length and wrapped with small gauge bailing wire or pinstriping tape.

Here's my take on a loaded four pack of the Menard's 14-1/2" Alaska Railroad flatcars.  I will admit I copied the USCG Blackhawk helicopter load from Menard's. I had the same helo, plus two other USCG helos and the yellow Canadian Coast Guard helo so once I saw the Menard's Helo load I figured I would use all four for loads.  After using Blackhawk like Menard's, I figured if the the Whittier AK Coast Guard station was receiving a new helo by rail why not a new cutter also. The Coast Guard cutter was picked up at a toy store, remember those, for less than $10.  Next, ARRs new Jordan Spreader is also arriving on a flatcar.  Why?  Why not?  This is not an actual AMTRAK spreader from MTH but one I cobbled together from parts I won via an ebay auction.  The undercarriage is actually made out of wood and the trucks are actually old Kline trucks.  The yellow SIKU excavator, with blue accents was just a natural for the Alaska RR so a few decals on the boom and voila.

@PRRMP54

Well now you went and did it. You got me out of my recliner and onto the lift to go up to my train room. I’m glad you did because I learned something. Here is my rescued flat car with up to now an unknown load, that was found at a show.
I looked more closely than in the past and sort of made out MICO PUMPEN

The other side was not very clear; i thought it might say Magdeburg  

I did a quick search for Mico Pumpen and found out its a model of a water pump.

So  thanks for getting me off my chair! I can’t ask my Dad about it; but I’m going to see where Magdeburg is in Germany.

I guess this counts - it IS a flat car

- walt

@walt rapp posted:

I guess this counts - it IS a flat car

- walt

Did you make the load Walt? It’s very nice.
I picked up a set of lighted Nativity cars to run especially at the club; to offset the Santa Train. Their nice; but I would opt for yours in a heart beat.

Heres my contribution...the tractors are Ertl and the plow is a white metal kit from some British co. i forget the name of.

@pennsyfan posted:

Did you make the load Walt? It’s very nice.
I picked up a set of lighted Nativity cars to run especially at the club; to offset the Santa Train. Their nice; but I would opt for yours in a heart beat.

Yes, Bob, I made it. thanks for noticing.

- walt

Nice flat car loads everyone!

This is a C8 corvette painted by me to look like a pre-production camouflaged car and a large engine of some kind I 3D printed.

I think that I have posted both these photos in the past, but I am not sure. It's been a while since I "did" these cars.

Bad boards do have a use (also, I just realized that this is a gon, not a flat car; oops.)

I got this old cast aluminum hopper years ago, in the condition just as you see it. I immediately flipped it upside down on a flat and it became a casualty of a train wreck somewhere up the line:

Harvest 40' scale sections of rail from old American Flyer straight sections of track.     They make great flat car loads and/or pile them up for trackside detail.   The discarded metal ties make for great magnetic crane operation.  

Cheers, Dave

A pair of Christmas flatcar loads.  The Nativity car figures are from Hobby Lobby.  Snoopy is a Hallmark ornament.

Anyone remember Schuco Micro Racers?  Here are two on the way to Indianapolis on a Lionel flat car.  Next is a Midgetoy truck with a Lionel Cooper-Jarrett trailer .  

Lionel bulkhead flatcars that came with a plastic wood load. I made the removable wood deck and added a ETD. The battery and wiring is in the box I made.

Gene

@Farmall-Joe posted:

Heres my contribution...the tractors are Ertl and the plow is a white metal kit from some British co. i forget the name of.

What an appropriate load for you Joe.

Here are two home made flatcars with custom loads.  At one of the first train shows I went to I came across three flatcar shells, brown, navy and a very pale blue.  I added some plastic K-Line trucks I had on hand to each, some HO UP decals to the brown one, Dry transfer lettering to make the navy one part of my growing Alaska RR roster and the light blue one some Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey circus decals.  I don't remember where I came across the conveyor on the UP flat, possibly from my brother who models HO.  The belt rolled up under the conveyor is some sort of gasket material.  It was originally installed on the conveyor but over time the glue I used to connect the belt together failed so I just rolled it up and placed it under the conveyor.

The helicopter on the Alaska flat was a Toys R Us purchase.  It came on a lowboy trailer that looks to be 1:55 or maybe even1:64.  This is my first attempt at adding a wood deck to a flatcar.

No pictures of the the circus flat but it has two K-Line circus wagons as the load.