Flat Car Friday - Milwaukee Heavy Duty Flats

 

uncredited image purchased from ebay auction; note absence of stake pockets

The Milwaukee had two 200-ton heavy duty flat cars (FG* although originally FM) built in 1928 by Standard Steel Car Company's Hammond, Indiana (outside Chicago) plant, car nos. 67051 and 67053. As shown, they rode on four Dalman two-level trucks with a cast bolster, visible between the two trucks at each end. These were a heavily riveted design, as evidenced by the sheer number of rivets visible. They were likely to support some of the online manufacturers of heavy loads, such as A. O. Smith, but they could be used for more traditional shipments, as shown below. By the early 50s they had been renumbered to car nos. 601051 and 601052, capacities of 392500 and 393300, respectively.

ca. 1938, Pacific & Western Model Railroad [club?]

I had it in my mind, perhaps erroneously, that Roundhouse had offered an HO scale model of these (in addition to the smaller heavy duty flat that they offered) although I could be mistaken. Athearn also offered a heavy duty flat of a different type, although that could be fodder for a kitbash of this prototype as the general shape is similar, if not identical.

image from 1945 Milwaukee Road freight car diagrams

*FG is the AAR classification for flat cars to haul "heavy ordnance or other heavy commodities"