Centerbeam Flats used for forest products.

I'm looking into some modern rolling stock for my recently acquired "modern" locomotives.

I've decided to get some Red Caboose 73' centerbeams.

Were these cars regularly in interchange use and found anywhere in the US/Canada?

Since I'm modeling western roads... would some of the southeastern roadnames like: Mid-South, St. Andrews Bay(Bayline) etc... be found in the west on a regular basis?

 

Seems like it's possible these days to see just about anything anywhere, although I cannot say for sure if the particular roads you mention definitely can or cannot appear in the west (although I suspect they probably can or do). What I do when considering a purchase for my modern layout is check to see if the car carries a consolidated lube plate or not. This is my only current measure of if the car is something that may actually ply the rails today.

Russ

 

Calzephyr, the Eastern (or more properly Southeastern) road name cars would normally not venture beyond the Front Range of the Rockies, as the delivered price of West Coast lumber would preclude sales of Southeastern pine lumber West of there. Our little railroad (the AN) loaded over 100 per year, and most all went to points East of the Mississippi, including Illinois and Wisconsin.

Yes, there are lumber mills in Florida that ship centerbeams.

 

In a western setting, you would be better of with western cars (UP, BNSF, MR, etc.). TTZX cars do show up a lot.

Yes, these cars are interchanged regularly, depending on (of course) where the product being hauled is headed to.

JDLX
Elko, NV

 

Thanks for your answers thusfar.

To be more specific now... I am considering some of the lumber company cars which are colorful and thus visually appealing.

I am getting some Tobacco Road Lumber cars which are from a company in Montana. I am also getting some SRY cars which are Southern Railway of BC.

Others I'm considering are the Plum Creek, Hampton Lumber, McCloud River, Tri-Con and Tree Source. I beliieve that most of these are cars that traveled the western US rails since the parent companies are in the Northwest or Pacific Coast.

 

Calzephyr, BNSF had cheap single line lumber rates on traffic that routed strictly BNSF. Of course, BNSF runs all the way from Vancouver, BC to Birmingham, AL, and used to go to Pensacola, FL, and Mobile, AL. Don't know if BNSF still does that - railroads have more traffic than they know how to handle now.

 

Whom makes loads for these cars and where can they be obtained?

 

Hays Bros. Garage, Jaeger, N Scale of Nevada have all made or make loads for centerbeams. Try George at Wig Wag or Pete at BLW, I know those two have advertised them on their websites.

 

Thanks thirdrail, I'll give them a shot.

 

Those cars are all over the place here in Quebec. I see obviously many CN and CP cars. I also see a LOT of NOKL (Northwest Oklahoma RR I think) here so they're pretty far from home. A lot of TTX also.

Centerbeam cars are some of my favs.

As far as loads go I simply make my own. I draw a template in paint with the company's paper I want and then print them out and stick it to 1/4" thick basswood or balsa cut to correct fit. I then draw lines to simulate the different stacks of lumber and then use a X-Acto knife with a metal edge to cut over the lines giving some depth to the otherwise-very-2D-looking loads. Very simple, but not as good as commercial products