ExactRail Evolution HO Scale Depressed Center Flatcar, Penn Central/1972 Repaint

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

Generally designed with some sort of 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 shops and familiar builders--such as Thrall, and they were built also built by a host of specialty builder's, such as Maxson, Norca and Kasgro.

Given the rarity of all designs, ExactRail combined elements common to key prototypes so to offer a depressed center flat with both interesting and characteristic features . Perhaps closest in design to Conrail (ex-Erie Lackawanna) FE42A class depressed flat, ExactRail's depressed center flat is a good stand-in for similar TTX/QTTX, Southern, and CNW cars. With perforated GSI-style deck and intricately lettered car sides, ExactRail's 48' Depressed Center Flat will turn heads just like the prototypes.