Introduction

Exactrail Evolution EE1765-1 HO Scale Depressed Center Flatcar Penn Central PC 766210

General Steel Industries (GSI) offered one-piece cast-steel under-frames in which the sill, body bolsters, cross bearers, draft pockets, couplers and carriers were combined into a single steel casting. These under-frames were popular for Depressed Center Flats because the design maximized load strength while minimizing vertical height of fabricated under-frames.

Generally designed with a specialty commodity in mind, Depressed Center Flat Cars are unique. In addition to the GSI cast steel designs, Depressed Center Flats were frequently fabricated by a railroad’s home shop and familiar builders such as Thrall, and were also built by a host of specialty builders, such as Maxson, Norca and Kasgro.

Given the rarity of all designs, ExactRail combined elements common to key prototypes to offer a Depressed Center Flat with both interesting and characteristic features. Perhaps closest in design to the Conrail (ex-Erie Lackawanna) FE42A Class Depressed Flat, ExactRail’s Depressed Center Flat is a good stand-in for similar TTX/QTTX, NYC, UP, CR, & P&LE cars. With perforated GSI-style decks and intricately lettered car sides, ExactRail’s 48′ Depressed Center Flat will turn heads just like the prototypes.

The Penn Central had a large collection of Depressed Center Flats of various builds and sizes. This group of numbers represent a series of cars numbering 766210-766219 that came from the New Haven and were repainted in 1972.

FEATURES:

• Precision micro-tooled!
• Designed, engineered and tooled in the United States!
• Factory installed Kadee No. 5 couplers
• Narrow-style draft box featuring shank wedges, & striker casting and full nut and bolt detail
• ExactRail’s exclusive ASF 100 Ton Ride Control Trucks
• CNC-machined metal wheel sets
• Razor sharp painting and printing
• Wire grab irons and GSI-style perforated deck