BULKHEAD FLAT CARS
In the steam era, nearly all flat cars were plain unequipped cars with an AAR classification of FM. The dieselization of America’s railroads allowed for fewer, but longer trains. While this increased efficiency, it also increased slack action To alleviate the problem of loads sliding into adjacent cars, railroads began equipping flatcars with bulkheads. One of the placement restrictions on cars carrying hazardous materials is that they may not be next to an open load without bulkheads. Bulkhead flat cars were originally given the AAR mechanical designation of FMS, however a new designation of FB was adopted in the early seventies.
By the late seventies, center beams were being added to bulkhead flatcars. The center beam consisted of an “A” frame which allowed the load to lean towards the center of the car, making the load more secure. Center beam cars were originally given the mechanical designation of FBS, however a new designation of FBC was adopted by the early nineties.
AAR 48’6” BULKHEAD FLAT CARS
INTERMOUNTAIN
Like the real railroads, Intermountain’s model was produced by adding bulkheads to their AAR 53’6” flatcar. It is a well-detailed model with body mounted couplers. It features six-foot high bulkheads which were intended for wallboard, which is denser than lumber. As every homeowner knows, wallboard can’t get wet, so the loads were always covered.
The chart below includes every series of bulkhead flat car that matches the dimensions of the Intermountain model. Photos are hard to come by, so some series may differ from the model. The chart also includes railroads that inherited these cars through merger. Additional information for each road name is as follows:
BALTIMORE & OHIO- Between 1954 and 1960 the Baltimore & Ohio rebuilt a total of 228 flatcars with bulkheads for hauling plasterboard. The Baltimore & Ohio Color Guide has a photo of B&0 8812, which is a match for the Intermountain model.
ERIE LACKAWANNA- In October 1956, the Erie equipped two flat cars with low bulkheads for shipping steel lath, numbering them 7000-7001.
In September 1961, Erie Lackawanna installed higher bulkheads on two ex-Erie flatcars numbering them 7002-7003, apparently rebuilding the two Erie cars at the same time. No notes were included in the Equipment Registers as to the intended commodity. The Erie Lackawanna Color Guide has a photo of EL 7000, which has bulkheads different from the model.
NEW HAVEN- In 1959, New Haven built seven bulkhead flatcars for hauling gypsum board numbered 19000-19006. Though they match the dimensions of the Intermountain model, the Newhavenrailroad1959 website indicates that the cars had different bulkheads. In 1961, the New Haven built a second series of bulkhead flatcars. Numbered 19100-19111, they had low wooden bulkheads and were used for hauling bundled bricks.
NEW YORK CENTRAL- In 1952, the Central built the first of five series of bulkhead flatcars for hauling plasterboard. The first series, numbered 481000-481022 had a length of only 46’1” between the bulkheads, so is listed separately. The fifth series, 481000-481859 did not appear until the sixties and was likely painted in a later black paint scheme, so is also listed separately. Photos of the second and fourth series in the New York Central Color Guides show that they match the Intermountain model, and all five series share the same drawing in New York Central’s Classification book.
TRAILER TRAIN F68AH BULKHEAD FLATCARS
SCALE TRAINS
Between 1969 and 1974, Bethlehem delivered over 1,300 sixty-eight foot flatcars to Trailer Train. Designated as class F68AH the majority were equipped with bulkheads and given TTPX reporting marks. Approximately half of these cars were delivered in Trailer Trains’ boxcar red scheme while the other half were delivered in yellow. Trailer Train added to their TTPX fleets with 1,400 very similar BSH71 flat cars from Bethlehem and TSH71 flat cars from Trinity between 1975 and 1980.
Scale Trains offers N-scale “Rivet Counter” models of the F68AH equipped with bulkheads. These models feature body-mounted couplers as well as all the intricate detail of the prototype right down to cut levers and brake pipes. Scale Trains offers the model in every scheme used by Trailer Train, including box car red schemes sub-lettered for three different railroads. The chart below includes both classes of TTPX flat cars in order to provide a more complete picture of Trailer Train’s fleet.
