The interesting Trains vs Trucks article in the March TRAINS has me wondering if any of the 1st generation TTX piggy back cars have been preserved (with or without trailers?). I certainly recall seeing classic piggy back trains in my youth; today it's almost all container (at least on CSX through Silver Spring, MD). Or are these cars still in use? What about the NYC Flexi-Van train talked about in the article?

Guess what made me wonder is from reading this board, much of the surviving freight rolling stock in museums are there because they were used in MoW service or stuff away in some spur somewhere. Seems like piggy back flats aren't likely to see these sorts of fate.

Thanks,

Bob

Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, a freight car "addict" asked me, "Remember all those four-wheeled single-trailer flat cars that TTX had running in the 1980s and 1990s? Are any of them still around, and did a museum ever get one? Might be a great platform for MOW work......."

I just filed a slide of one of these cars--oddly with an excursion train set behind it, at Wilsmere Yard in 1985..........

Bob -

Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson, Indiana has two Trailer Train flat cars on its roster; TTX 475037 and TTX 479727.

The first car is one of the 115 Pennsylvania Railroad 50' F30d class flat cars that the Pennsy converted for its Truc-Train piggyback service by the end of 1955. During 1957 and 1958, 86 of these F30d conversions were transferred over to the Trailer Train Company. Unfortunately, we do not have the original PRR number of the car. Currently HVRM's plans are to convert the car back to a PRR car and place a trailer on it. Although we would like to use a genuine Pennsy trailer, we have thus far been unable to locate one. But we have found a Railway Express Agency trailer that is in reasonably good condition and this will eventually be put on the car.

TTX 479727 is a class F85b long piggyback flat car built by Pullman-Standard in March of 1960. Currently it is on loan to the Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad (our outside rail connection) which uses it in MofW service hauling ties and rail to places needed on their line.

Both cars were donated directly to the museum by Trailer Train in June of 1989.

Les

I think a search of the Interchange archives, using TTX, Trailer Train, Trailer, Intermodal, or Piggyback singularly will reveal at least one discussion that revealed most of the survivors out there.

I have never heard of a surviving Flexi-Van flat but would very much like to be corrected. Likewise, do any of the Santa Fe's Fuel Foiler prototypes survive?

Tom Cornillie

The Museum of Transportation in St. Louis has a TTX 4-wheel "Front Runner" car in it's collection. It has just been placed on display with a MOPAC trailer on it.

B&O Museum has an original C&O RoadRailer somewhere on one of their side lots last I looked--does that count for anything?

IRM has TTX 470902 complete and restored to its 'near' as built paint and condition. It is an F39C and was actually built by the CB&Q a few months before the incorporation of TTX. As soon as that happened the car became TTX property, presumably as part of the CBQ buy in. It is 78 feet long, and built date is 1955. As far as we can determine it is largely a PRR design as the Pennsy was a driving force behind TTX and in the early days. Design, accounting and some other functions were handled by the PRR. Photos are available on the IRM website www.irm.org in the Member Photo Gallery, main album for Robert Kutella, then pick down through Freight Cars, and then click on Flat Cars.

Bob Kutella

The Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola has TTX 38646 which was aquired through trade from BAERA in Rio Vista. I believe that it is significant because it is a one piece cast body? Not sure...

http://wplives.org/WPRM_Home/Equipment_Roster/Flatcars/flatcars.html

Chris Allan

An old PRR piggyback trailer is located in Denton, NC. I think it was last used as a storage trailer. The trailer is complete as far as I can see including the lettering. I have not seen the trailer in over 4 years but assume it is still there. This would make a great addition to either Altoona or Strasburg and should not cost seven fortunes to move and restore.

John Bohon

Bob,

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum has preserved a NYC Flexivan trailer which is in very good condition and carries its original signs. It came to us over a decade ago from a local business. Someday we hope to add an appropriate piggy back flat to display it on. Sadly, I believe all of the Flexivan flats are gone, so anything we would come up with would not be totally Flexivan. I would imagine Flexivan trailers traveled with their wheels on flats at sometime, however.

Any leads on cars are appreciated.

Regards,
Chris Hauf
R&GV Railroad Museum
http://www.rgvrrm.org/

Not an old one, really, but we received a long TTX trailer flat a few months ago here in Williams. It has been restored and donated to the forthcomingrailroad museum to be built here. It's stored on GC Ry rails right now. Can't remember the number. I made the joint on the BNSF interchange and took it to one of our spur tracks for storage.

Lots of good replies, it would appear TTX has been friendly to the preservation community.

Guess the next challenge will be finding space for these long, articulated well double stack cars in 10-20 years.

VMT also has an early TTX flat with a pair of trailers. I seem to remember it having a build date in the late 50's.

That's right Gary

And here is the TTX Flat with the two restored Sealand container trailers on it in the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The trailers from what I understand are used for storage at the museum.