Ideas for Flatcar loads

Some great ideas! Weaver flat cars have actual stake pockets which make for a lot of crate variations. I only have one Lionel flat with a cat front end loader, and never took notice to see if the stake pockets are real. The only other flat I have is a K Line depressed with a transformer.

Don

Thanks.

I have one Lionel PS-4 that have the stake pockets.  I will have to check out the Weavers.

David

My "railroad" has always operated for profit, theoretically, and therefore I always like to see loads on my flatcars as well as open gondolas and hoppers.  It's kind of fun to develop new ideas for these cars.  Sometimes you can add a note of "mystery" to a flat car by covering the load with tarps or wooden packing cases.

Paul Fischer

since then I polished it up and mounted it on a drop-center flat with aluminum pillars.

We have a member, Bob I who loves Cat trains and loads.

I have recently discovered that I don't have enough flats and gondolas. I noticed that railroads carried most anything and everything on various flats and still do. Some were customized for a particular customer or repurposed for MOW tasks.

There are some interesting loads in this Alaska Railroad load manual.

Pipe loads look good as well as dimensional lumber in mfg's wrap.

That is one awesome CAT train! 

My railroad is the official transporter of the Walt Disney World Railroad

I have a "war train" of flatcars with tanks, cannon, etc., and some tractors, and other flats with heavy machinery,etc., but my favorite is a set of flatcars with 14 land speed record cars on them, about a third of them scratch built.  It is a silly set of loads, if you think about it, but a lot of fun. 

Because I spent three years working on these in the Army. Don

Because I spent three years working on these in the Army. Don

Looks great! Might want to be careful, launching that under catenary wire ... 

Thanks, this is a Revell model, still offered. It's a little over scale but I really like it. It's sitting on a scale K-line flat that I modified. Don

All of the loads shown are good.

I too have made a few custom loads but I don't have pictures.

Mine are all in boxes now while I try to rebuild.

P.S. Nicely Done Scale Rail, Love that missile.

I need more flat cars for all the stuff the wife puts on flat cars.

Cool idea Michael!  I have the same Disney RR set.

got this idea, I think, from a fellow forumite a couple years back:

- walt

Yep, that's a good one Walt.

I put mine on the Christmas layout near the Church or in a park.

Since the layout changes year to year, This scene also moves.

I wanted to add text to the pics, but I couldn't find a space to type after I downloaded the pics. The hopper on flat was done by Weaver from a prototype. This can also be done with a 2 bay on a forty foot flat. The other picture is my remedy for a "depressed" flat car!

Don

The top picture load was constructed of basswood and plastic wheels  after I installed metal wheels on all my rolling stock. The lower picture load was constructed using small pvc pipe and placing home grown decals on them.

Relocated load:

NS scale

I like the chains, and really need a set, for a helicopter on a flat,

what are they,  thanks

Terry,  the chains were cut from a cheap $3.00 necklace I happened upon at Wally world in the jewelry section.  Went looking there for something I could use for this purpose, and they were hanging on an inexpensive rack of costume jewelry.  they are made of blackened metal.

Dave....

don,
who needs a engine in front when you have a rocket in the rear...

Gentlemen,

    There are also some real nice original solid steel flat cars available with different loads on them, Lionel made these in the transition era from Tin Plate to post war, the cars are heavy and very well made. 

Walt,

   Your Nativity Flat car is fantastic, great idea!

PCRR/Dave

The original solid steel Gray Lionel Lines tubular flat Car.

Basswood strips stained and glued to an old Lionel exploding boxcar frame.

This is a great thread.  All very neat loads.

Here is my most recent loads for an Army train...

Keith,  that is a neat military load.  With all the ideas I am reading about it looks as though I will have to invest in more flat cars.

here is mine

a radiator.

Andre.

Just had to add this one, although not that creative. Some of you may have/collect Corgi buses for your layouts. But when I was a kid in the early 1960s, this is what I rode from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles and back one time when I didn't take Union Pacific's City of Los Angeles.

I loved these "Scenicruisers" for the view and smooth ride, although not quite as smooth as the train. 

Thanks Dave!  I feel the same way...need more flat cars.

These are favorite flats of mine.  Started as Lionel O-27 flat cars.  I cut them, removed a section, filled, sanded and painted and lettered to get custom Lionel Steel track section flats.  I have three that each carry two half sections of tinplate track.  It's a fun toy train load.

First photo shows one on left...

When Don first posted his pictures a long time ago of the beautifully iconic Nike missile, I was so impressed that I am working on a couple myself. Launch frame is in the decal stage, missile is still waiting on me to make up my mind on how it is to be decaled. I'm leaning toward ACME ARMS.

Not on a flat car but a load made from a old angle grinder parts.

Andre,  that radiator load is beyond cool. I'd ask where you got the turnbuckles from, but my guess is you made them?