Doug provided the history for the WCFN, but if you’re interested in the flat car, it’s very similar to the CB&Q FM-11/11A flat cars built between 1928 and 1930, and they too rode on Andrews trucks. The major difference is length, as the WCFN car is probably 40 ft. or 42 ft. and the CB&Q car was 45 ft. The only visible difference other than length is the FM-11 has 13 stake pockets per side and the WCFN car has 12 stake pockets. The Q cars ran into the 1970s with many converted to TOFC service. A few FM-11As were converted to push plow service by installing a wedge blade on one end and building a box on the deck to hold boulders for ballast. A resin kit is available from Jerry Hamsmith with CB&Q decals. It’s a very well designed kit and relatively easy to build.

 

Nelson Moyer                                                                                           

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io [mailto:main@RealSTMFC.groups.io] On Behalf Of Lloyd Keyser
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2020 11:23 AM
To: main@realstmfc.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] FARMALL TRACTOR DECALS

 

I would like to know more about that flat car. It appears to be on Andrews trucks

Lloyd Keyser

 

On Sat, Apr 18, 2020 at 7:57 AM Nelson Moyer <npmoyer@...> wrote:

Sounds like the best way to way to go is to check the business listings in phone books for the year you model in the towns you model and see what you find. Another resource here in Iowa is centennial books – many towns and counties issued them in conjunction with their centennial.  While finding centennial books in public libraries has been easy, finding period phone books has been challenging.

 

Nelson Moyer

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io [mailto:main@RealSTMFC.groups.io] On Behalf Of Dennis Storzek
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2020 11:41 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] FARMALL TRACTOR DECALS

 

On Fri, Apr 17, 2020 at 11:58 AM, Nelson Moyer wrote:

With all this talk of tractor loads, I'm wondering if there were regional followings for either Farmall red or John Deere green. I remember seeing mostly red in Indiana in the 1940 and 1950 on visits to the grandparent's farm. With plants in Moline and Waterloo, would John Deere be more prevalent in Iowa than Farmall?

Jim Ogden touched on this but let me add, it's more granular than that. It didn't really matter where the factory was - the factory could ship nationwide - that's why we see photos of tractors on flatcars. What really mattered is where their distributors were. You're not going to see a flatcar load of green tractors spotted at the team track ramp of a town with only an IH distributorship. That would be red tractor territory. Farmers tended to buy what they could easily get serviced. No sense buying a tractor from a dealer two towns over unless the price was really good. The overlap between territories has of course expanded as highways have gotten better, but that regionallity does still exist. Case in point, when I used to drive US 20 out to Freeport every six weeks or so, I'd pass a New Holland dealer about halfway between Rockford and Freeport. That area is the only place I ever recall seeing New Holland equipment working the fields.

Dennis Storzek