Thursday, September 13, 2012

Wartime flat car loads

I'll not post the photo due to copyright, but the original is available through the National Archives or you can get a copy of Squadron Signal's PT Boats in Action.  On page 48 of that publication is a picture of a partially completed 78' Higgens boat, PT 201 on SP 79571, a 52' flat car. This shot may have been an intra-plant transfer at Higgins Louisianna yard prior to launching, or it may have been prior to shipment to a port for overseas carriage on board a larger ship.  Absent confirmation of the former, I will take modeler's license and assume the latter for the North Bay Lines.  I have determined from the Official Railway Equipment Register that the car is a 52' flat.  Now to find the class and an HO model of the car.  The boat in this case is relatively easy.  Revell made a 1:96 scale kit of PT 212,the same class.  Not very detailed, but OK to match the photo and as a main line car load.  And I just happen to still have the assembled kit I built as a pre-teen  in the 60's.   Talk about serendipity!  I will update this in a future post.

John Barry

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