Trainworx - 28543-05 - Flatcar, 85 Foot, TOFC - Rock Island - 93237

Specific Item Information: Straight sill, BLT 10-62

Model Information: This Trainworx model features a detailed plastic body; a die-cast metal under frame; separate air reservoir, brake gear and air lines; very fine etched metal deck supports, retainer valve rod and stirrups. The cars come ready to run with Fox Valley metal wheel sets and Micro-Trains body mount couplers. Two variations exist: fish-belly and straight-sill.

These models come configured for TOFC (Trailer on Flat Car) service with two trailer hitches in an upright position. The modeler can reconfigure them for COFC (Container on Flat Car) service by swapping the upright trailer hitches for the lowered trailer hitches that come in a small bag with the model. The modeler then adds container brackets (also supplied in the parts bag) to configure the flat car for 20 foot or 40 foot containers.

Prototype History: A flatcar (US) (also flat car (US) or flat wagon (UIC)) is a piece of railroad (US) or railway (non-US) rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck mounted on a pair of trucks (US) or bogies (UK), one at each end containing four or six wheels. Occasionally, flat cars designed to carry extra heavy or extra large loads are mounted on a pair (or rarely, more) of bogeys under each end . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads. Flatcars designed for carrying machinery have sliding chain assemblies recessed in the deck.

Flatcars are used for loads that are too large or cumbersome to load in enclosed cars such as boxcars. They are also often used to transport intermodal containers (shipping containers) or trailers as part of intermodal freight transport shipping.

TOFC (Trailer On Flat Car, a.k.a. piggy-back) cars came is various length to accommodate usually two trailers: 50' for two 24' trailers, 75' for two 35' trailers, 85' for two 40' trailers and 89' for two 45' trailers.

The first 85’ flat was introduced by Pullman Standard in December 1958 and was followed by ACF in 1959 and Bethlehem Steel in 1960. These cars became a necessity to continue accommodate 2 trailers per car after the Congress considered the Interstate Highway Act and trailer sizes increased to 40’ in length, leading to obsolescence of the then 75' flat cars (for 2 35' trailers). The 85' flat themselves were late superseded by 89' flat in the 1980's that were designed for even longer trailers.

From Wikipedia
Read more on Model 160 N Scale Website

Road Name History: The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RR) (reporting marks RI, ROCK) was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was better known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end of 1970 it operated 7183 miles of road on 10669 miles of track; that year it reported 20557 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 118 million passenger-miles. (Those totals may or may not include the former Burlington-Rock Island Railroad.)

Its predecessor, the Rock Island and La Salle Railroad Company, was incorporated in Illinois on February 27, 1847, and an amended charter was approved on February 7, 1851, as the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Construction began October 1, 1851, in Chicago, and the first train was operated on October 10, 1852, between Chicago and Joliet. Construction continued on through La Salle, and Rock Island was reached on February 22, 1854, becoming the first railroad to connect Chicago with the Mississippi River.

In 1980 Rock Island was liquidated. The railroad's locomotives, rail cars, equipment, tracks, and real estate were sold to other railroads or to scrappers. William Gibbons (the trustee) was able to raise more than $500 million in the liquidation, paying off all the railroad's creditors, bondholders and all other debts in full at face value with interest. Henry Crown was ultimately proven correct, as both he and other bondholders who had purchased Rock Island debt for cents on the dollar during the low ebb in prices did especially well.

Read more on Wikipedia and Rock Island Technical Society.

Brand/Importer Information: Trainworx was founded in 1999 by Pat Sanders and is located in Delta Colorado. Their first freight car was the Quad hopper and it was released in 2000. They have been making N scale products ever since. Their website can be found at www.train-worx.com. As of 2016, they have produced 8 different rolling stock body styles as well as a range of different highway vehicles in N Scale. Their limited edition runs have proven a huge success with collectors and modelers enjoy the accuracy of all their products.

Trainworx sells their products both through tradional retail channels as well as directly by phone order. When asked "What prompted you to found Trainworx?", Pat Sanders responded "There was a freight car that hadn't been done in N scale that I just had to have and it didn't look like anyone was ever going to make it."