In railroading history there is a handful of equipment that has attained legendary status, either for what it has done, what it can do and in very few instances, simply because of what it is. When thinking of locomotives you have to include the 'Big Boy' and 'Allegheny', the biggest and most powerful, you decide which is which. In considering revenue equipment there is one piece of equipment that most everyone interested in railroading is familiar with, the 'Queen Mary' flat car owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The 'Queen Mary', officially known as the Pennsylvania FD-2 class flat car (sample model shown above), is a truly unique piece of equipment, there was only one and it is currently on display in Altoona, Pennsylvania where it was originally built. Created by the Altoona Car Shops using all welded steel construction in 1952, the FD-2 was capable of handling 500,000 pound loads which typically consisted of Westinghouse turbo-generators. When built, it was the largest piece of rolling stock in the world and when loaded to capacity, it weighed approximately 1,000,000 pounds and required special orders for all movements. Later in the decade, United Engineering & Foundry Company built a special carbody for use with the truck assemblies from the FD-2 to be used for shipping a rolling mill housing that weighed more than 442,000 pounds. The FW-1 (sample model shown below) was six (6) inches shorter than the FD-2 in overall length. The carbody was later purchased by the 'Pennsy' and used interchangeably with the drop-center carbody for a variety of shipments until the car was retired. The FD-2 and FW-1 both routinely traveled off-system and remained in service through the Penn Central and Conrail years of operation.

At over thirty inches in length and running on thirty-two ball-bearing equipped journals, these two models make for most impressive O scale models. The truck units are fully articulated allowing for operation on tight radius curves, with the only concern being the inside overhang of the carbody. Taking into consideration the positioning of the carbody relative to the truck assemblies, the inside overhang is approximately the same as that of a scale 80' passenger car. Our scale miniatures are offered in multiple paint schemes appropriate for the Pennsylvania, Penn Central and Conrail Railroads. The carbodies are not interchangeable due to detail variations between the two types. In addition to the cars, scale loads that replicate those seen on the prototype photo pages will be offered separately. For complete details on the versions that are being offered, please refer to the downloadable order form that can be found the project download page.

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