Southern Pacific, GBEC 1963-1964, General Purpose Flatcar, Class F-70-12, Stencil date 3-75, ACI label
Southern Pacific Class F-70-12 were built by Gunderson Brothers Engineering Company (GBEC) at their Portland Oregon plant for a whopping 1,150 car order delivered starting in Feb. 1962 and continuing into 1964. They were assigned to general purpose use. Constructed with welded fish belly frames and Douglas fir decks treated with Pentha. Painted with Red Lead paint from Pacific Paint & Varnish or Freight Car Paint from Sherwin-Williams.
These 53'-6" flatcars were constructed with a welded fish belly steel frame in contrast to the cast steel GSI frame. The fish belly frame provided an optimal distribution of tension and compression forces from the center of the car to the bolsters. Think of it as a bridge. In addition, fabricating a welded frame was far less labor intensive than an equivalent riveted frame. The welded frame proved extremely durable holding up to rugged service. As these flat cars aged-out due to ARR interchange age limit, they found its way into many years in maintenance-of-way service. A number of builders constructed these flat cars such as the Pacific Car & Foundry (P.C. & F.), Marine Industries (Canada), Pullman-Standard, Bethelehem Steel, and including railroad car shops such as the Western Pacific.
They were designated as FM by the AAR mechanical people. They carried anything bulky that can't be placed in a box car - from finished lumber to machinery equipment.
Features:
Properly weighed cars for smooth derailment-free running
Proper ride height
Body-mounted knuckle couplers
33" metal wheels for smooth rolling
Internal steel plate so loads can be attached with magnets
Extra fine details
Sharp paint, lettering, car numbers to match the real thing
Multiple car numbers for fleet owners for realistic train operations
