N Scale Kits - NS140 Kit - Greenbrier Gunderson AP53 Well Car - Florida East Coast

Specific Item Information: Introduced in early 2001 there are many of these cars running across the USA today.
The Gunderson AP53 cars are long low-sided single unit, double stack cars, taking 2 20' or one 40-53' container in single or double stack mode or can take one 53' trailer or two 28' trailers.
In 2001 FEC purchased cars 70000 through 71124 and in 2005 cars 71650 through 72809, a total of 2285 cars in use through the early 2000's until the present day. They are still regularly seen in intermodal consists today.
These low lying cars in their different FEC paint scheme provide an alternative to the TTX well cars seen in many intermodal consists.
Whilst any of the cars run in Florida East Coast Railway paint schemes, TTX do run these cars as DTTX cars in the series DTTX 469216 to 471999. However, in DTTX use, TTX run these cars without their hitch tops, and are only used in CoFC service. This version can also be built using the kit.

Road Name History: The Florida East Coast Railway (reporting mark FEC) is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida and since 2007 has been a subsidiary of Railroad Acquisition Holdings, LLC, itself a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group, LLC.

The FEC was historically a Class I railroad owned by Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) from 2000-2006, FOXX Holdings from 1983-2000, and the St. Joseph Paper Company prior to 1983.

Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison Flagler. Flagler originally visited Florida to aid with the health issues faced by his first wife, Mary. A key strategist who worked closely with John D. Rockefeller building the Standard Oil Trust, Henry Flagler noted both a lack of services and great potential during his stay at St. Augustine. He subsequently began what amounted to his second career developing resorts, industries, and communities all along Florida's shores abutting the Atlantic Ocean.

The FEC is possibly best known for building the railroad to Key West, completed in 1912. When the FEC's line from the mainland to Key West was heavily damaged by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the State of Florida purchased the remaining right-of-way and bridges south of Dade County, and they were rebuilt into road bridges for vehicle traffic and became known as the Overseas Highway. However, a greater and lasting Flagler legacy was the developments along Florida's eastern coast.

During the Great Depression, control was purchased by heirs of the du Pont family. After 30 years of fragile financial condition, the FEC, under leadership of a new president, Ed Ball, took on the labor unions. Ball claimed the company could not afford the same costs as larger Class 1 railroads and needed to invest saved funds in its infrastructure, fast becoming a safety issue. Using replacement workers, the company and some of its employees engaged in one of the longest and more violent labor conflicts of the 20th century from 1963 until 1977. Ultimately, federal authorities had to intervene to stop the violence, which included bombings, shootings and vandalism. However, the courts ruled in the FEC's favor with regard to the right to employ strikebreakers. During this time, Ball invested heavily in numerous steps to improve its physical plant, installed various forms of automation,was the first US Railroad to operate two man train crews, eliminate cabooses and end all of its passenger services (which were unprofitable) by 1968.

In modern times, the company's primary rail revenues come from its intermodal and rock trains. Since 2007, it has been owned by Fortress Investment Group,[citation needed] which acquired it for over US$3 billion (including non-rail assets). Fortress previously owned conglomerate short line railroad operator RailAmerica, which for a time operated FEC but the two companies never merged; Fortress no longer owns RailAmerica and RailAmerica no longer operates FEC. A former CSX official, James Hertwig, was named as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company effective July 1, 2010.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: N Scale Kits manufacture and sell the widely admired Alan Curtis model range [AC Models and Andersley Models]. Their focus is the intermodal and flatcar kits originally produced by Alan Curtis and AC Models. All cars are manufactured in lead free pewter.

N Scale Kits is located at Minster Chambers, Church Street, Southwell Nottinghamshire, England NG25 0HD.