HO PRR F22 & F23 Flatcar Decals

This set was produced to introduce a more comprehensive set for these classes, which hadn't been done by previous manufacturers.

Introduced in 1913, the F22 class was created as a heavy duty “shorty” flatcar. The F22 was designed for the large loads of the era, with one of the primary loads being battleship gun barrels. The gun tubes were sent from the point of manufacturer to the shipyard for their creation, but also between service assignments, the tubes would need to be serviced after being used. The Washington D.C. Navy Yard, an on-line customer for the PRR had the primary responsibility for the construction and maintenance of these guns. By the 1920’s, the trucks on the cars were upgraded from heavy-duty arch bar trucks to heavier duty cast trucks, which increased the capacity to 190,000 pounds. In addition the gun barrel loads, these cars were used for other large shipments.

The F23 class was built at Altoona in February 1913, these were steel decked versions of the F22, assigned to Westinghouse for their needs of heavy-duty cars for transporting transformers, although Westinghouse preferred depressed center cars, at this point the PRR did not favor that type of car design. Both the F22 and F23 lasted in revenue service into Penn Central with only 6 left on the roster, others had been transferred to the MOW fleet during the late-PRR era.  

This sheet has enough data to do 4 cars, with 2 F22 classes and 2 F23. There are two different F23 numbers, with an “open-end” number for doing the four additional cars in the fleet not already given. For the F22 there are 8 different numbers. There are six different reweigh/repack dates covering locations where these cars frequented. Additionally, for the F22 cars there are numbers included for the load bridges, which were assigned to the car it was applied.

Both the F22 and F23 have been produced as resin kits by F&C. Additionally, the F22 was imported by Railworks, Ltd. in brass.

American Model Builders (www.laserkit.com) sells multiple load kits for the F22 cars which include the load bridges. Some of the loads are gun barrels, and a large structural steel piece.

For painting instructions both of these flatcars in the pre-1954 scheme, the entire car including underbody and trucks is to be painted in Freight Car Color.

For references in regard to the PRR's F22 and F23 Class Flatcar fleet please consult the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society's publication, Pennsylvania Railroad Flat Cars, Revenue & Work Equipment, 1881-1968, by Al Buchan and Elden Gatwood and Volumes 1-3 of the PRR Color Guide.