AZL - 91353-2 - Flatcar, 73 Foot, Centerbeam - Coe Rail - 20513

Specific Item Information: Centerbeam flatcars, centerbeams or center partition railcars are specialty cars designed for carrying bundled building supplies such as dimensional lumber, wallboard, and fence posts. They are essentially bulkhead flatcars that have been reinforced by a longitudinal I-beam, often in the form of a Vierendeel truss, sometimes reinforced by diagonal members. They must be loaded symmetrically, with half of the payload on one side of the centerbeam and half on the other to avoid tipping over.

Prototype History: Centerbeam flatcars, centerbeams, center partition railcars or commonly referred to as lumber racks are specialty cars designed for carrying bundled building supplies such as dimensional lumber, wallboard, and fence posts. They are essentially bulkhead flatcars that have been reinforced by a longitudinal I-beam, often in the form of a Vierendeel truss, sometimes reinforced by diagonal members, but originally in the form of stressed panels perforated by panel-lightening "opera windows", often oval, egg-shaped or rectangular. They must be loaded symmetrically, with half of the payload on one side of the centerbeam and half on the other to avoid tipping over.

Road Name History: Coe Rail (CRLE) was an excursion and freight railroad that ran between West Bloomfield and Wixom, Michigan. In 2007 it was renamed the Michigan Air-Line Railway. The Michigan Air–Line Railway (MAL) was a Class 3 short-line railroad in Oakland County, Michigan. It ran from West Bloomfield to Wixom, Michigan where it interchanged with the CSX. The headquarters and station are in Walled Lake, Michigan.

Sadly like too many rail lines before it, plans are to remove the trackage and sell the land for a rail trail to be called the West Bloomfield Trail. On January 28, 2011, the railroad applied to abandon the route from Wixom to the end of track near West Bloomfield and since then the railroad has been removed between Walled Lake and the interchange in Wixom, MI.

From Trains21.org

Brand/Importer Information: AZL is the leader in North American Z scale locomotives and rolling stock. Since 2000, AZL has released a vast variety of freight, passenger and locomotives. AZL continues to push the boundaries of Z scale with amazing details and incredible performance. No matter if you are looking to run steam, or the most modern diesels, AZL has something for you.