Norfolk Southern 50' TOFC Flatcars

[jtnrr]

So a friend of mine recently sold me two old Walthers kits of HO Scale Norfolk Southern 50' TOFC flatcars. He sold them to me for a good price, and with me not modeling intermodel or trailers, I got them hoping NS had possibly converted some into flatcars for general freight or MOW service. I was just curious if anyone knows anything about these cars. I know that some of the brown ones still float around, but I have never seen these black style TOFC NS flatcars before.

[Deleted]

NS converted a number of boxcars into 50ft TOFC's and I believe they are still knocking around.

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[jmlaboda]

At least one of them appears to have been rebuilt recently by NS into a shoving platform. Harold Hodnett posted some great pictures of a car that has been rebuilt, right around the time you asked about this. The link below will take you to the album for NS 555254, now in Greensboro, N.C....
rrpicturearchives.net/rsPicture.aspx?id=601168

Thank God for once it isn't a caboose that is being cut down!!!

[jtnrr]

That shoving platform is a neat idea. As a modern day modeler, this would be a great addition.

[stillbre]

Unfortunately NS never rostered a 50' piggyback flat car like the Walthers model. I'm assuming what you got was the GSC 53'4" car. I'd have to double check, but if it is the same Walthers car that I'm thinking, Southern did own a few of these that could have gone to NS. But the car being black, I'm wondering if it isn't meant to represent the original NS and not the prancing pony NS.
The NS cars were rebuilt by Southern from 50' PS-1 box cars. None remain in service, at least not piggyback service. They all have reached the 50-year rule of FRA service so can no longer be interchanged.
SOO did have some of these cars that lasted into the 90s in piggyback and container service. I have old VHS video footage of one being switched at the NS ramp in Charlotte.