85 ft ALL PURPOSE TOFC FLAT CAR. Road Number may vary. Separately applied ladders, brake rigging, stirrups, and handbrake details. 2 – 40 foot Trailers. 1 – GREAT NORTHERN with the Rockey logo. Alignment pins on Trailer bracket. 33 machined metal wheels with RP25 contours. Weighted for optimum performance. Body-mounted McHenry® operating scale knuckle couplers. Painted and printed for realistic decoration. PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO. Trailer on flatcar, also known as TOFC or piggyback, is the practice of carrying semi-trailers on railroad flatcars. TOFC allows for shippers to move truckloads long distances more cheaply than can be done by having each trailer towed by a truck, since one train can carry more than 100 trailers at once. The trailers will be moved by truck from their origin to an intermodal facility, where they will then be loaded onto a train, typically by a rubber tired gantry crane, for the bulk of their journey. Alternatively, trailers may be driven onto the flatcars via ramps by a terminal tractor. Near the destination, the trailers are unloaded at another facility and brought to their final destination by a tractor unit. Modern TOFC service was first introduced in North America in the 1950s, although the practice of carrying another mode of transport on flatcars was first recorded in 1843 when canal boats were moved by a portage railway between several cities in Pennsylvania. TOFC is distinct from containerization. While both are examples of intermodal transport, trailer on flatcar is the loading of entire trailers onto railroad cars, while in containerization, the container is detached from the trailer chassis for railroad transport. Besides the need for facilities to handle loading and unloading with road (preferably highway) access, trailer on flatcar operations impose certain height clearance requirements. In North America, including Mexico, this is mostly a non-issue as double-stack rail transport imposes much more demanding clearance requirements, but regions with more constrained loading gauges may impose limits on this type of transport or make it impossible altogether. However, height clearance requirements tend to be slightly lower than for rolling highway transportation where entire trucks are loaded onto rail vehicles. The trailers themselves also need to meet certain minimum requirements to be able to be moved via crane, which is the most cost- and time-efficient way of loading and unloading them onto the train. Flatcars hold an important place in railroad history: they were the very first type of rail car used by the railroad industry. For that reason, the design didn’t change much over time. Today, there are several variants of flatcars, including spine cars, centerbeams and well cars. Even so, the basic flatcar is still riding the rails to this day, carrying equipment, machinery, oversized loads, pipe, steel beams and more. As you might expect, flatcars are. Flat. Flatcars consist of a flat, horizontal floor or deck that is mounted on a pair of trucks. Decks may include areas for stakes or tie-down points for securing loads. Flatcars are open to the elements – they do not have sides or a roof like other rail cars. They come in 60- and 89-foot lengths and can carry loads ranging from 147,000 to 202,000 lbs. (73.5 to 101 tons). They can carry loads ranging from 147,000 to 202,000 lbs. They come in 60- and 89-foot lengths and can carry loads ranging from 145,000 to 160,000 lbs. (72.5 to 80 tons). They also feature chain tie down devices that run along the channels on both sides of the car to secure loads. Bulkheads, which are sturdy, vertical walls at each end of the car, help prevent loads from shifting past the ends of the car. Bulkhead flatcars come in 60- and 62-foot lengths and can carry loads ranging from 142,100 to 210,000 lbs. (71 to 105 tons). They can carry loads ranging from 180,000 to 194,000 lbs. (90 to 97 tons). Log flatcars are equipped with reinforced permanent steel stakes to make it easier to secure the load. Cranes and forklifts are the most common way to load a flat. Cargo like pipe or rails may be loaded and unloaded with a crane or other mechanical device. Farm equipment, military equipment and heavy construction equipment can be driven on and off of flatcars. When trailers ride on flatcars (TOFC) they are referred to as piggybacks. Railroads often use flatcars to haul materials and equipment to maintain tracks, including ties, rail, track panels, work equipment and vehicles. If you have a concern message me and I can work something out for you. THIS IS AN ASSEMBLED Item. The item is NEW in the original box from old stock. Many of these unique items are from my personal inventory which was accumulated over the years. They are hard to part with but due to downsizing in retirement they too are looking for a good home which can appreciate and enjoy them. Having discontinued my Hobby Store and left frigid “Minne-Snow-Da” I have relocated and retired to the warmer part of the country, Down to Sunny TEXAS. I will be Liquidating the remaining stock. I will be listing items over the next year or so clearing them out. Please see the photos we take actual photos of each item. Most of these items are New in the box removed only to take photos of them.