Micro-Trains - NSE MTL 20-117 - Flatcar, 60 Foot - City of Prineville - 2018

Specific Item Information: The City of Prineville Railway celebrated 100 years of operation in 2018 and has the unique honor of being the longest operating railroad owned by a municipality. Located in the very center of Oregon and built out of necessity for the town to survive, this thirteen mile line connects at Prineville Junction (2 miles north of Redmond Oregon) to the BNSF. (Prior BN, prior SP&S). The Union Pacific also has trackage rights over this north-south line, known as The Oregon Trunk, through Central Oregon and connects to California via the ‘Inside Gateway’. Les Schwab Tires began in 1952 in Prineville OR and has 410 tire outlets (in 2007) in most all of the western states.

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.

From Wikipedia

Road Name History: The City of Prineville Railway was completed in 1918 between Prineville, smack dab in the middle of Oregon, 19 miles west to Prineville Junction, just north of Redmond. The connection was with SP&S subsidiary Oregon Trunk, which is now served by BNSF and UP.

The COPR is the oldest continuously operating city owned shortline in the nation. The diesel age began with a pair of Alco S1’s and an S3. In the 1980s, the Alco's were replaced by a pair of former Milwaukee Road GP20’s (really rebuilt GP9s MILW upgraded to GP20 standards including a chopping of the noses.) Since then, they have also acquired a GP9 originally built for Great Northern (which has retained its GN standard long-hood-forward arrangement.) This was joined in 2014 by an SW1500.

In addition to the usual freight service, COPR runs the Crooked River Dinner Train between Prineville Junction and Prineville. For special occasions, COPR has a special locomotive, a 3-truck Shay lettered for Mt. Emily Lumber Company No. 1.

Brand/Importer Information: Micro-Trains is the brand name used by both Kadee Quality Products and Micro-Trains Line. For a history of the relationship between the brand and the two companies, please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide.

Manufacturer Information: Micro-Trains Line split off from Kadee Quality Products in 1990. Kadee Quality Products originally got involved in N-Scale by producing a scaled-down version of their successful HO Magne-Matic knuckle coupler system. This coupler was superior to the ubiquitous 'Rapido' style coupler due to two primary factors: superior realistic appearance and the ability to automatically uncouple when stopped over a magnet embedded in a section of track. The success of these couplers in N-Scale quickly translated to the production of trucks, wheels and in 1972 a release of ready-to-run box cars.

Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.

Please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide

Commissioner Information: Desiring to bring a creative and artistic approach to model railroad cars, Lowell Smith Signature Series was born in 1994. The first special run car commemorated the Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the Golden Spike - "Wedding of the Rails". Since 1994, Lowell Smith Signature Series has continued to produce over one hundred and thirty-five unique cars or train locomotives to date.

A native of Portland, Oregon, Lowell Smith married his church choir sweetheart Barb in 1978. After a lifetime of rail-fanning, Lowell and Barb ventured out in 1992 to launch a new business in Portland, Oregon.
Following Lowell's passion of model trains, The Hobby Smith was built to be the community center for model railroaders - operators and collectors alike. Located in the Hollywood District of Portland, The Hobby Smith was the place to learn and to enjoy the camaraderie of others with the same passion.