Rolling Stock Gallery Unweathered: 3

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Of course I'm proud to have some very unique Centerbeam cars in my collection. All of them are built by Rob Ray. Centerbeam flatcars are essentially bulkhead flatcars that have been reinforced by a longitudinal I-beam above the car deck. The I-beam runs from bulkhead to bulkhead. They are designed for carrying bundled building supplies such as fence posts, wall board and dimensional lumber.

Cables or straps are respectively retained to a plurality of winches positioned along the opposite side sills of the flat cars. The cables or straps extend around the load from bottom to top and downward with their free ends being secured to the floor deck of the flat car at a position adjacent the respective winches. They are loaded with an equal payload weight on each side so as to avoid tipping over.

Photos by Jürg Rüedi

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