Walthers Gold Line HO Scale Flexi-van Flat Car with Two Trailers New York Central No. 504228

New York Central #504228 HO scale PLEASE NOTE: As these cars are the correct prototype length, a minimum 24" radius is recommended for operation. Flexi-Vans Traveled In Freight & Passenger Consists * All-New Tooling * Includes Two Road-Specific Trailers * Use on Freight or Passenger Trains Walthers Gold Line Freight Cars * Fully Assembled * Metal RP-25 Wheels * Knuckle Couplers * Razor-Sharp Paint and Lettering * Modeler-Installed Grab Irons Included As trailer-on-flat-car (TOFC) service evolved in the late 50s, many roads began trying to cut costs, opening the door to new ideas. Among these was the Flexi Van system, first tested by the New York Central in 1957. Designed to speed loading and unloading, the design used a special turntable (mounted on a standard flat car for testing), and a 36' trailer with a removable wheel assembly (bogie). In operation, the trailer was first aligned with the turntable and backed into place. The bogie was then unlocked and the trailer slid aboard. Once in position, a pin locked the trailer to the turntable, which was turned to the loaded position using the on-board hydraulics. The successful test car paved the way for the first production models in 1958. These were low profile skeleton cars, designed to meet clearance restriction on the NYC and carry two trailer units. Simple pivoting turntables replaced the complex and expensive hydraulic units. Early cars handled only 36' units, but as 40' was quickly becoming the standard length for highway trailers, later models carried a 36 and a 40' unit; cars built from 1961 to 1968 carried two 40' units. On later cars designed to handle 40' bodies, the turntables were moved to the ends and required the services of a specialized terminal tractor. These short wheelbase rigs had a retractable front wheel to simplify lining the truck and trailer with the turntable, and a large push pole provided the extra reach needed to spin the trailer into place. Lighter and lower than standard TO

• All-new tooling

• Includes two road-specific trailers

• Use on freight or passenger trains

• Fully assembled

• Metal RP-25 wheels