Athearn Genesis N GN14364 F89-F 89’8″ TOFC Flat Car, TTX (Brown) #151883

Introduced in the early 1960s, the Trailer Train (now TTX Company) F89F flatcar has been a mainstay of contemporary railroading. A product of Bethlehem Steel Company’s (BSC) Johnstown, PA plant, over 9,000 of these (89′ 8″ over the strikers) cars were built throughout the 1960s. Visually distinctive from other long flatcars of their era thanks to their “C” channel side sills, these versatile cars were adapted for many types of service and loadings over the years, ranging from Trailer-On-Flatcar (TOFC), to autoracks, to structural steel loading. While the majority went to Trailer Train, many were built for various railroads, typically for autorack service. Many were “de-racked” in later years, being reassigned and equipped for other service – TOFC, vehicle loading, pipe service, etc.

It wasn’t unusual for these cars to see several different loading configurations throughout their careers, to meet the changing needs of shippers. In service with Trailer Train, the three or four-letter reporting marks indicated the cars’ intended service and corresponding equipment. For example, an “XTTX” car was equipped with four collapsible hitches, capable of carrying various combinations of 28′, 40′, or 45′ trailers. A car in the “RTTX” configuration featured a pair of fixed hitches at the ends, and a retractable hitch amidships, allowing it to carry a pair of long (up to 45′) trailers back-to-back, or three 28′ “pup” trailers.

FEATURES:
Newly tooled coupler cut levers Raised and lowered hitches included Die-cast body Wire formed brake plumbing Detailed deck 70-Ton roller bearing trucks Separately applied brake ratchet, wire grab irons and ladders Machined metal wheels with RP25 contours Body-mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers Weighted for optimum performance Use for dedicated intermodal trains or mixed freight Decorated models fully-assembled and ready to run out of the box Highly-detailed, injection-molded body Minimum radius: 9-3/4″ – Recommended radius: 12″+