Does anybody know when 45-foot semi trailers began to appear on piggyback flatcars? I’m modeling the period 1969 thru 1973, B&O. All my existing trailer models are 40ft, but I’d like to add a few 45 footers as well.
TIA
Trailer Train did not even start modifying existing 89’ flat cars to the ‘Twin 45’ configuration until 1981. Also in 1981 they started using ‘4-Runner’ cars over the C&NW/UP in ‘Falcon’ service. These small cars were designed to carry a single 45’ trailer.
I think your ‘era’ pre-dates the 45’ trailers - But it’s your railroad…
Jim
Thanks Jim! I kind of suspected that. I wasn’t paying much attention to such details when I dropped out of the hobby in 1973 to pursue higher education, women, and other life essentials.[swg]
I’ll stick with the 40-footers.
The following two sources indicate that Trailer Train began getting 89 foot flatcars in the early 1960’s:
Excellent links Max, thanks for sharing them! They confirm exactly what Jim mentioned about 45ft trailers not appearing until sometime after 1980.
It looks like Jim Bernier quoted directly from the 1981 time line on TTX’s own website:
http://www.ttx.com/aboutttx/history.aspx/#1980
Some good useful information.
Regarding Athearn Fruehauf 40’ trailers from Jim Eager:
“All three are accurate models. The x-post and beaded-side vans
rapidly declined in number in the early 1980s, while many of the
smooth-sided ones were stretched to 45, although some of the newer
ones (blt 1979-80) were the last 40s in service in the mid-1980s
(B&M, white BNs, B&O-Chessie, ERES/AVAZ/REAZ, TM, UPS).”
Here is some info I gathered, incomplete as it is, to give some idea as to what Trailer Train flat cars were in the 70’s as well as later data as the 45’s trailers were being hauled as flat cars were modified and re-classified:
July 1975 ORER (Flatcars with inside length of 89’0" to 89’6")
CTTX 1 (type F077)
FTTX 1556 (type F119)
GTTX 64 (type F877)
ITTX 1165 (type F119)
JTTX 1034 (type F119)
LTTX 1879 (type F877)
TTAX 4888 (type F077)
TTCX 711 (type F977)
TTDX 224 (type F119)
TTX 19029 (type F875, F877)
XTTX 734 (type F877)
ZTTX 1 (type F109)
July 20, 1978 ORER
TTAX – 5755 TOFC/COFC
TTX – 18,693 TOFC only
July 1982 ORER:
TTX - 18,831 (AAR Type F877)
WTTX - 66 (Type F877)
TTAX - 11,416 (Type F077)
TTWX - 0
RTTX - 0
KTTX - 0
STTX - 359 (Type F877)
TTCX - 686 (Type F977)
45’ trailers became legal in 1980.
Ed
I began to be interested in TOFC in the mid 1980’s as my interested in the D&RGW was growing so I’ve been collecting the Athearn RTR 45’ Fruehauf (former A-line) trailers but with some ability to back date or mix during the transition have a bunch of Athearn RTR 40’ Fruehaufs too.
If you are interested in 1969-1973, you will probably want mostly brown Trailer Train flat cars with a few yellows as they begun to be painted in yellow in 1970:
1970: The highly visible Trailer Train yellow paint scheme replaces the old freight car red paint scheme.
There are some good HO models available now for TOFC modelers:
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Athearn 85’ TOFC only flat cars (the Athearn flush deck “all purpose” flat cars are 85’ but should be 89’).
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BLMA brown Trailer Train F89F flat car is a great one for your period.
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Accurail made a brown Trailer Train flat car.
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Walthers makes a nice TTX (Trailer Train) logo 89’ flat car in yellow paint
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Athearn Genesis 89’ F89F channel side in brown Trailer Train
(I believe the prototype for the Atlas 89’ flat car was first built in 1973 so that may be a bit late for you.
Dates for 45 foot trailer use varied by jurisdiction. Some western states made them street legal before their eastern counterparts, and some railroads (like Vermont Railway if I’m recalling correctly) began purchasing and/or leasing 45-footers for intermodal service out west before they were legal in the areas where those railroads even ran. Western Pacific leased 45-foot trailers from Availco as early as 1979, and those were acquired second hand from Rock Island.
Note also that in the era before Trailer Train and others began Twin-45 conversions, 45-foot trailers could still be carried on 89’ flats. The hitch spacing allowed for one 45-foot and one shorter trailer. Photos of such loads aren’t especially uncommon in the late 70s - early 80s. Watch for the longer trailer at the B end of a car that retains a full set of bridge plates and otherwise lacks Twin-45 lettering or reporting marks. In other cases, as with surviving 85-foot flats, the center hitch could be collapsed to allow a single 45-foot trailer to be carried.
As for tye OP’s era of 1969-1973 on the B&O, 45-foot trailers sound out of place.