Just the other day I was poking through my favorite hobby shop's second-hand rolling stock inventory when I found this little gem...
A near mint condition Mantua all metal flat car!
Mantua first introduced this model in the July 1949 issue of Model Railroader Magazine...
Model Railroader Magazine then featured this model in their February 1950 issue's "Trade Topics" section:
As you can see from my example, this car is as simple as a car kit can get, yet the casting well executed and the detail even holds up to modern day standards!
I especially like this kit's thin, scale-sized, stamped metal stirrups compared to the oversized stirrups found on the later plastic versions of this car. The only thing missing from my example is the "stem winder" brake wheel (which is easily replaced). Incidentally, whoever originally bought and assembled this car never bothered to paint it which is why it is such great condition.
Most interestingly of all for the model railroader historian is that the fish belly side frames of this ancient flat car are a close match to Tyco's infamous Skid Flat Car...
Clearly this was the original tooling from which all following Mantua and Tyco 40 foot flat cars were based on. Now all I need to do is figure out how to attach Kadee's to this thing.
Proudly keeping Tyco Pluggers out of landfills since 2016Edited by - Srenchin on August 05 2017 12:28:50 PM
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Hey Scott. I'll be interested to see what you do with that flat car (having seen your fine craftsmanship on all the box cars). I would just avoid chopping off the Mantua coupler pocket to install a Kadee coupler pocket; you don't need to do that unless your "realism" effect requires it. Keep the photos coming as this car evolves. It will be fun to view.
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Hey Scott. I'll be interested to see what you do with that flat car (having seen your fine craftsmanship on all the box cars). I would just avoid chopping off the Mantua coupler pocket to install a Kadee coupler pocket; you don't need to do that unless your "realism" effect requires it. Keep the photos coming as this car evolves. It will be fun to view.
Originally posted by Barry - August 07 2017 : 11:22:34 PM
same here but most of them loop couplers were just screwed on really So it wouldn't take much to put on a Kadee coupler
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