Bluford Shops products are not intended for children under 14.
January, 2011 Announcements...
Pre-Orders are now open. Due for delivery in Fall, 2011. All items are N scale.
First draft artwork shown, subject to improvement by Bluford's crack development team!
Atlantic Coast Line -post 1958. In 1955,ACL changed their logo to emphasize their nickname, “Coast Line” by increasing the size to 12” and reducing “Atlantic” to 4”. Three years later in 1958 they stopped applying the Prismo Stripes (which you may remember from our first ACL run of hoppers.) This paint scheme was the result and it would persist as the standard for hoppers for a number of years. The 5,700+ mile Atlantic Coast Line gained a reputation as “the standard railroad of the South”, serving Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. During the period these cars were in service, the total ACL freight car fleet exceeded 31,000 cars. ACL would merge with Seaboard Air Line to form Seaboard Coast Line in 1967. This roadname will be available in 6 road numbers. 73401 single car $21.79; 73402 2-Pack $43.58, 73403 3-Pack $65.37.
Golden West Service was established in 1990 with an agreement between Southern Pacific and Greenbrier Industries. A
wide range of freight cars from the SP, Cotton Belt, and Rio Grande fleets that were in need of rebuilding, gradually made
their way to Greenbrier’s Gunderson railcar plant. They emerged in Golden West Services paint and resumed their roles
under the management of SP. Because of the structure of the deal, Greenbrier was required to apply common carrier
reporting marks (no private owner marks ending in X) to these cars so they made a deal with Galveston Railroad (GVSR),
Ventura County Railway (VCY), Coe Rail (CRLE) and for a short time Kansas City Southern (KCS) to use their reporting
marks. Ultimately, the Golden West fleet would grow to exceed 10,000 cars. This group of former Cotton Belt cars was
assigned GVSR marks. This roadname will be available in 3 road numbers. 86441 single car $29.85; 86442 2-Pack $59.70.
Canada Southern operated for most of its history as a subsidiary of the New York Central System. It ran from the Detroit area northeast along the Canadian side of Lake Erie to the Buffalo-Niagra Falls area. Control of the line passed first to Penn Central and then Conrail. Conrail sold the CA-SO to CN and CP in 1985. These hoppers were assigned to ore
loading on the CN in Dane, Ontario for customers in the United States. These cars will come with ore loads in place of the usual coal loads. This roadname will be available in 6 road numbers. 73411 single car $21.79; 73412 2-Pack $43.58; 73413 3-Pack $65.37.
The Chicago & Illinois Midland was a busy, 121 mile coal hauler in the Peoria, Springfield, and Taylorville areas of central Illinois. Coal loaded at on-line mines was moved to river docks at Havannah, Illinois or to connecting lines including Wabash, B&O, IC, GM&O, C&NW, RI, CB&Q, M&St.L, PRR, TP&W and Nickel Plate. This was a big time operation in
a small package. Mile long freights pulled by handsome 2-10-2 ’s (with spiffy red stripes and diamond logos on the tenders) were the norm. Today this line is called the Illinois & Midland and is part of the Genessee & Wyoming family of shortlines. This roadname will be available in 6 road numbers. 73421 single car $21.79; 73422 2-Pack $43.58; 73423 3-Pack $65.37.
Norfolk & Western experienced a major expansion in 1964 with the acquisition of the Nickel Plate Road, Wabash, and Pittsburgh & West Virginia (the NKP was merged and the other two leased.) Ironically, they didn ’t have a direct connection with any of them! That required purchasing a line from Columbus to Sandusky, Ohio from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Nickel Plate had inherited coal rich lines from Wheeling & Lake Erie along with a sizeable fleet of these hoppers. As
these cars came due for service after the merger in ‘64, they were repainted into this paint scheme and pressed into service across the system and via connections. This roadname will be available in 6 road numbers. 73431 single car $21.79; 73432 2-Pack $43.58, 73433 3-Pack $65.37.
Seaboard System was the result of the January, 1983 consolidation of The Family Lines into one railroad. The family tree
looks like this: Prior to 1967, Atlantic Coast Line controlled Louisville & Nashville who together jointly operated the
Clinchfield and jointly controlled the Georgia Railroad who in turn controlled Atlanta & West Point and Western Railway
of Alabama. In 1967, ACL merged with Seaboard Air Line to become Seaboard Coast Line. In 1974, The Family Lines
image was adopted on many freight cars for all of the above railroads. The railroads remained separate and The Family
Lines was simply a joint marketing image. Then on January 1, of 1983 all of the Family Lines roads were actually merged
into Seaboard Coast Line who then changed their name to “Seaboard System.” This roadname will be available in 3 road
numbers. 86451 single car $29.85; 86452 2-Pack $59.70.