Centralia Car Shops - CCS6559-01 - Passenger Car, Lightweight, Pullman, Sleeper 6-6-4 - Missouri Pacific - Colorado River

Prototype History: As lightweight articulated streamliners were proving their reliability and economy on the Union Pacific and Burlington route, Santa Fe made its' first investment in modern equipment with an order to Budd for a stainless steel coach numbered 3070 delivered in January of 1936. The car would be built with the patented Shotweld process that produced a full size car with a great savings in weight over the standard riveted cars (83,000 vs. 160,000 lbs.) The shiny fluted sides gave a pleasant appearance to the car and were easy to maintain. Santa Fe's second lightweight car, 3071, built at St. Louis Car Co. from welded Corten steel came in at 98,00 lbs., a great weight savings but not enough to sway Santa Fe from placing orders for 103 cars with Budd for eight new streamline train sets: a new Super Chief, San Diegan, Tulsan and twin sets for El Capitan, Golden Gate and Chicagoan-KansasCitian. A second Super Chief was also added. 47 more cars were ordered for delivery 1940-1942

119 6 Sec-6 Rmt-4 DB cars were built under Lot #6669 to Plan 4099 and delivered in June of 1942. Except for exterior paint and air conditioning systems the cars were identical and assigned to the Missouri Pacific (4), Erie (4), Illinois Central (12), Overland Route (60), Golden State (13) Santa Fe (26). These were the first smooth side streamline sleepers on the Santa Fe. These cars were to be used to provide new sleeping cars for secondary trains Grand Canyon and Ranger. Painted in the new Pullman two-tone gray scheme these cars were pressed into service during the war on the previously all-stainless steel sided Chief.

Road Name History: The Missouri Pacific Railroad (reporting mark MP), commonly abbreviated MoPac, with nickname of The Mop, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (SLIMS), Texas and Pacific Railway (TP), Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI), St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway (SLBM), Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (KO&G), Midland Valley Railroad (MV), San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad (SAU&G), Gulf Coast Lines (GC), International-Great Northern Railroad (IGN), New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railway (NOTM), Missouri-Illinois Railroad (MI), as well as the small Central Branch Railway (an early predecessor of MP in Kansas and south central Nebraska), and joint ventures such as the Alton and Southern Railroad (AS).

In 1967, the railroad operated 9,041 miles of road and 13,318 miles of track, not including DK&S, NO&LC, T&P and its subsidiaries, C&EI and Missouri-Illinois.

On January 8, 1980, the Union Pacific Railroad agreed to buy the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Lawsuits filed by competing railroads delayed approval of the merger until September 13, 1982. After the Supreme Court denied a trial to the Southern Pacific, the merger took effect on December 22, 1982. However, due to outstanding bonds of the Missouri Pacific, the merger with Union Pacific become official only on January 1, 1997.

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Brand/Importer Information: Centralia Car Shops is an N-Scale manufacturer based in Des Plaines Illinois. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Des Plaines hobbies. Des Plaines Hobbies was founded by Ron Sebastian in 1984. Centralia subcontracts its manufacturing to InterMountain and 'piggy-backs' the production runs onto the InterMountain runs using the same factories in China as InterMountain. Shipping from factories in China is also coordinated with InterMountain as is distribution to retailers.

Des Plaines Hobbies is a old fashioned hobbyshop with an emphasis on Model Railroading. It was started 33 years ago when you could purchase a tube of glue and sticks of balsa wood. That is still true today, although we have added a few items. About 20 years ago we ventured into some light manufacturing and are also home to Centralia Car Shops, S Scale America, and O Scale America lines of kits, decals and parts. Also along the way we have purchased a few small lines that we still offer such as Microscale's S Scale decal line and Mullet River Model Works HO and S lines.

Des Plaines Hobbies is located 3 1/2 miles north of O Hare International Airport at 1524 Lee/Mannheim (US 12-45). Pace buses conveniently run north and south on Lee/Mannheim from O Hare and the Des Plaines Metra station (1 mile north). For drivers, there is parking for a couple hundred cars out front and on the right side of the store. We are located on the south side of the Jewel food store under the red awning. Come for a visit. ADA restroom available. Coffee is usually hot, if not, ask and we will put a pot on.