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RailSmith - 501856B - Passenger Car, Lightweight, Pullman, Coach, 64-Seat - Florida East Coast - Hollywood

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N Scale - RailSmith - 501856B - Passenger Car, Lightweight, Pullman, Coach, 64-Seat - Florida East Coast - Hollywood Image Courtesy of Lowell Smith
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Stock Number501856B
Original Retail Price$48.00
BrandRailSmith
ManufacturerRailSmith
Body StyleWalthers Passenger Car Pullman Standard Coach 64 Seat
Image Provider's WebsiteLink
Prototype VehiclePassenger Car, Lightweight, Pullman, Coach, 64-Seat (Details)
Road or Company NameFlorida East Coast (Details)
Road or Reporting NumberHollywood
Paint Color(s)Silver
Print Color(s)Black
Coupler TypeAccuMate Magnetic Knuckle
Coupler MountTruck-Mount
Wheel TypeChemically Blackened Metal
Wheel ProfileStandard
Announcement Date2022-11-16
Release Date2023-02-01
Item CategoryPassenger Cars
Model TypeLightweight/Streamlined
Model SubtypePullman Smoothside
Model VarietyCoach, 64 Seat
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era III: Transition (1939 - 1957)
Scale1/160



Specific Item Information: The FEC ordered five of these coaches from Pullman-Standard. Delivered in late 1949, three had fluted sides as we offer here, and two were smooth sided. The other smooth sided cars were assigned to the Illinois Central’s City of Miami.
Model Information: First released in 2009.
  • All-New Tooling based on PS Plan #7484
  • Prototype Specific Details: With or without Skirts, Corrugated or Smooth Sides as appropriate
  • Working diaphragms
  • Blackened Metal Wheelsets on correct GSC 41-N style Trucks
  • Come with decals permitting multiple car number and names
  • Drop-In Lighting Kit will also be available, item #933-1099
Prototype History:
With big plans for its post-war streamliner fleet, the New York Central placed an order for 153 coaches with Pullman-Standard in May 1944. Deliveries of the cars (plan #7484) began in February and continued through October of 1946. At the time, this was the largest equipment order delivered within a single year. Although intended for general service, the cars were delivered with fluted sides that would allow them to be used with Budd cars. On delivery, these were truly state-of-the-art coaches, complete with air conditioning, deep reclining seats, individual lighting, large windows, full-width diaphragms and more. These cars led long lives and were later converted for commuter service. Others were acquired by Amtrak(R) in 1971 and continued in service for several years. A few survive today.

The 64 Seat coach from Pullman was designed as a short-haul commuter coach. The cars were built in the late 1940s using lightweight construction technology which significantly reduced their weight when compared to the older pre-war heavyweight cars. This Pullman design featured smooth sides and was purchased in large numbers by the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads as well as many other roads.
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:
RailSmith is a brand launched by Lowell Smith in 2019. Lowell acquired the toolings from Walthers.

With each release, RailSmith will bring passenger cars from across the spectrum of North America’s railroads, with the goal of building entire trains over a period-of-time. It is our plan to release cars that might be for a specific train, but you can use these cars as you see fit, as did the railroads.

Production plans are grand, but we believe they are also achievable. We do not have the capabilities to release an entire train at once, but being able to focus on one release (two-or-three cars at a time), we can build a train over time.
Item created by: CNW400 on 2022-11-16 18:29:41

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