F-50-17 Flat Cars
A roster of the F-50-17 class flat cars is provided as follows:
SP 510500-510649
These 79'-6" flat cars were built in 1957 by SP shops. These cars were the Clejan type early TOFC flat cars. They featured full length side handrails and skeleton frames. They were an early attempt to automate the loading/unloading process with a mechanical system to move the trailers along after loading. This proved to be a liability, however, since only the specially equipped trailers could be hauled thus cutting down interchange possibilities. A photo appears on page 63 of Tony Thompson's SP Color Guide vol. 1. Another photo appears in the SPH&TS Trainline no. 46 on page 23. These cars had a brief career. At some point they were lengthened to 85' and then to 89'. Autoracks were added in the early 1960's.