My Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company (M&N) freight car fleet did not contain a depressed center car fleet until recently. I had searched for one that would appropriate for my railroad set in late spring 1955. I had not found one that excited me until I saw Steve Steele’s in the model display room at 2023 Chicagoland RPM. A depressed center flat car lettered for the Milwaukee Road with a number of 601027. When asking Steve about the car he told me it was a scratch built car. I asked him if he would like to build another. He first said no and as our conversation continued he said he had a short depressed center flat car he had in storage that might be of interest. He thought it was an Eastern Car Works (ECW) kit that he remembered could be used for a New York Central (NYC) prototype. It was mine if I wanted it. I accepted Steve’s generous offer.
I placed photos of the assembled depressed center flat car which Steve had built on RealSTMFC website to confirm the kit car manufacturer and possible prototypes.
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| Side view of depressed center flat. (Click or tap on this or any image to enlarge) |
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| Top view of depressed center flat. |
I received a fine response to my inquiry. The depressed center flat car was manufactured by Eastern Car Works (ECW), kit number 4800. I was also able to obtain a scan of the kit instructions for the car. The instructions state the model used 33 inch wheels instead of the 28 inch wheels used on the prototype. In addition, the instructions provide of list of railroads that had the same or similar depressed center flat car to the Easter Car Works product. And, I received a car diagram and links to the New York Central Historical Society (NYCSHS) for photos.
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| Depressed Center Flat Car Diagram Courtesy of Seth Lakin |
I chose to model a New York Central depressed center flat car using the ECW model as NYC diagram dimensions are very close except for wheel size on the ECW model and NYC prototype photos available on the New York Central Historical Society website.
The prototype I chose to model was numbered 499063, the last car in NYC series depressed center flat car series 499050-499063, class FD. The car was a commonwealth cast steel car with car lettering showing a built date of July 1941 and car length of 37 feet 6”. Conventional brakes could not be used due to the depressed center. Therefore, each end of the car had a complete independent bake system. The kit instruction history states “the cast car body was sent to the railroads car shops where final assembly was completed. This accounts for the many variations as to trucks, brake equipment, and deck materials used by different railroads.”
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| NYC Depressed Center Flat 499063 NYCSHS Collection |
My upgrade of the ECW depressed center flat began with the underbody where I installed couplers and trucks which were not installed when I received the car. I drilled and tapped coupler pocket covers,coupler pads and truck kingpins for 2-56 screws. Kadee #148 couplers were installed in the coupler pockets to which coupler pocket covers were attached with Fastenal 2-56 x 3/16” screws. Trucks into which I installed InterMountain 33 inch metal wheels were installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 1/4” screws. Since no conventional brake work was needed on the underbody, all underbody work was done.
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| Underbody of Eastern Car Works Depressed Center Flat |
On the car body molded on grab irons were carved off. Grab irons bent from Tichy Train Group (Tichy) #1101 .010” diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW) were installed. I cut small wood sections for the floor tabs on which the vertical brake shafts would be installed. Next, after a study of the prototype end photo for the uncoupling lever, I cut and bent the “Z” portion of the mounting bracket from .005” sheet brass. A Yarmouth Model Works uncoupling lever bracket, YMW #507, with the top of the back cut off and hole enlarged with a #79 drill before bending, was glued to the mounted “Z” to complete the uncoupling lever mounting bracket.
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| End of NYC Depressed Center Flat Car 499063 NYCSHS Collection |
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| End view with deck tab, grab irons and uncoupling lever bracket. |
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| 3/4 view with deck tab, grab irons and uncoupling lever bracket. |
I was going to install the vertical brake shafts and brake wheels on the deck next; however, they needed a pawl and ratchet mounted on the deck for install. I felt I should get the deck treated prior to the pawl and ratchet install. Therefore, I hand brushed the wood portions of the deck with Polly Scale Depot Buff, #F414278 (no longer manufactured). Once dry, I used my dirty Dio-Sol, a mix of 50% xylene and 50% toluene for solvent base paints, paint thinner to brush these wood painted areas to attempt to get a weathered deck look. When dry I installed the pawl and ratchet, cut off extra brake platforms in extra parts box, on the added wood deck sections. Now the two vertical brake shafts, cut 2 feet 6 inches in length, from Tichy #1102, .015” diameter PBW were installed in the hole drilled in the ratchet wheel center and stainless steel brake wheels from the parts box were installed.
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| Wood sections of car treated with color and vertical brake shafts & wheels installed. |
After the deck work, I hand painted all the added detail parts Vallejo Model Color Burnt Red 70.814, in my opinion an exact match for car color, before installing uncoupling levers. While the painted parts were drying I bent the uncoupling levers from Detail Associates #2504, .012 inch brass wire and installed them.
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| Uncoupling levers installed. |
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| Uncoupling levers installed. |
The depressed center flat was ready for lettering. I air-brushed the sides and ends of the car with Model Master Acryl Semi-Gloss Clear, # 4637. For lettering the depressed center flat I chose National Scale Car decals for New York Central 70 Ton AAR Flat Cars, set D191. This decal set was the best I found to letter the car. The ordered decal set had not yet arrived in the mail so I decided to do some additional weathering on the wood decks. The additional deck weathering was done with the following Prismacolor Premier pencils: Cool Grey PC1061, Tuscan Red PC937 and Black PC935.
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| Wood decks with Prismacolor pencil weathering. |
And, since I still had time prior to the decals arriving in the mail I scratch built a removable load for the car using Life-Like Trains Scene Master Freight Car Load Large Gears, item 433-1513 and some scale wood lumber. And, the uncoupling levers were hand painted with the Vallejo Model Color Burnt Red 70.814.
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| Depressed Center Flat with gear load. |
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| Depressed Center Flat with gear load. |
When the decals arrived it was time to letter the car. Decals were cut out and soaked off in distilled water and applied to the car body where MicroScale Micro Set had been applied with a brush. After the decal was applied in the Micro Set and positioned the edges had MicroScale Micro Sol applied. Any excess solution was sucked away with the torn edge of a paper towel. Again when dry, car body sprayed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling. Again when dry, the car body was sprayed with Model Master Acryl Flat Clear, #4636, flat to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering if applied.
As the National Scale Car decals were not made of this car, the car number 499063 had to be applied one number at a time. The weight data was in rows one above the other on the decal sheet. Therefore, the rows were cut apart and applied. I was able to splice the capacity number of 161,000 to get it closer. The other weight data does not have correct numbers; however, the weight numbers had to do until better can be found. After the photos below were taken a repack date was applied.
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| NYC 449063 lettered. |
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| NYC 449063 lettered. |
New York Central 499063 depressed center flat car was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.” A car card was made for NYC 499063, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.
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| NYC Depressed Center Flat 499063 with load at Little Chicago, Minn. M&N Team Track |
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| NYC Depressed Center Flat 499063 with load at Little Chicago, Minn. M&N Team Track |
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| NYC Depressed Center Flat 499063 with load at Little Chicago, Minn. M&N Team Track |
I want to say, “Thank You” to Steve Steele for gifting the car to me. Seth Larkin for car diagram and data regarding these NYC depressed center flat cars and the New York Central Historical Society links. John Holmes for providing kit number 4800 and a scan of the kit instructions. A “Thank You” to Joe Binish, Tim O’Connor, Fran Giacoma and Bruce F. Smith for their help. Without the help of these individuals the build of NYC depressed center flat 499063 would not have happened or data provided for upgrade as complete.
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Lester Breuer
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