Micro-Trains - 54090 - Flatcar, Bulkhead - Texas Oklahoma & Eastern - 4152

Prototype History: Among the earliest types of freight cars, flatcars continue to serve as a valuable part of railroading. Flatcars are used to move a wide variety of loads which do not require protection from weather. These cars, are constructed with steel underframes, wood floors and stake pockets on the sides and ends for fastening tie-downs that keep loads from shifting.

Bulkhead flat cars are a specialized type of flatcar designed which includes reinforced end-walls (bulkheads) to prevent loads from shifting past the ends of the car.

Road Name History: The 40 mile TO&E runs from Valiant, Oklahoma (near the Texas border) to West Line on the Oklahoma – Arkansas border. TO&E’s sister railroad the De Queen & Eastern continues from West Line to Perkins. In addition to the DQ&E interchange, TO&E connects with the Kiamichi (ex-BN nee-Frisco) at Valiant.

The line was built in 1911 by a local lumber and coal company but Weyerhaeuser got control of it and the DQ&E early on. Under Weyerhaeuser control, TO&E operated as a paper railroad with DQ&E locomotives until the late 1960s when the first locomotives in decades to be lettered for TO&E began to arrive. Despite the separate locomotive fleets, the two railroads were operated hand in hand. In 2010, Weyerhaeuser sold their railroad properties to the Patriot Rail shortline group. It appears that since then, Patriot has been pushing TO&E back to the status of paper railroad under De Queen & Eastern.

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: 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.
In October 1990 Kadee separated in two companies, with the newly created Micro-Trains® Line Co. continuing the Z, Nn3, and N Scale product ranges, with Kadee retaining the HO range.