Wheels of Time N 50118 General Purpose Flat Car, Boston and Maine #34074

Boston & Maine, PS 3-57, General Purpose Flatcar, 34000-34089 (black body with logo)

Boston & Maine purchased two batches of Pullman-Standard PS-4 53'-6" fish belly flatcars in March/April 1957. Lot 8322 numbers 34000-34089 built at Butler, Pennsylvania were plain deck general purpose flatcars. Lot 8322A numbers 5320-5329 were speciality equipped with bulkheads. 10 cars from the 34000 series were later converted to TOFC service.

These 53'-6" flatcars were constructed with a welded fish belly steel frame in contrast to the cast steel GSI frame. The fish belly frame provided an optimal distribution of tension and compression forces from the center of the car to the bolsters. Think of it as a bridge. In addition, fabricating a welded frame was far less labor intensive than an equivalent riveted frame. The welded frame proved extremely durable holding up to rugged service. As these flat cars aged-out due to ARR interchange age limit, they found its way into many years in maintenance-of-way service. A number of builders constructed these flat cars such as the Pacific Car & Foundry (P.C. & F.), Marine Industries (Canada), Pullman-Standard, Bethelehem Steel, and including railroad car shops such as the Western Pacific.

They were designated as FM by the AAR mechanical people. They carried anything bulky that can't be placed in a box car - from finished lumber to machinery equipment.

Features:
Properly weighed cars for smooth derailment-free running
Proper ride height
Body-mounted knuckle couplers
33" metal wheels for smooth rolling
Internal steel plate so loads can be attached with magnets
Extra fine details
Sharp paint, lettering, car numbers to match the real thing
Multiple car numbers for fleet owners for realistic train operations