AZL 73628-4 ATSF Baggage RAILWAY EXPRESS AGENCY Lightweight Passenger Car | Unnumbered

Image shown is a numbered car, however this car is unnumbered.

We've released thirteen cars for the ATSF Valley Series of passenger cars. The Valley series was the first smooth side streamlined sleepers purchased on the ATSF. Delivery began in June of 1942. The cars were delivered in coach green and two-tone gray. Many would be repainted in the aluminum color ‘shadow-lined’ scheme to blend in with the corrugated passenger cars. The cars later in life would be assigned to secondary trains as well as the Chief transcontinental passenger trains.

These cars are highly detailed with blackened metal wheels, flush window glazing, close coupling and fine add-on details. Each car is equipped with AZL’s AutoLatch™ couplers.

Lightweight passenger cars required developments in steel processing that were not available until the 1920s and 1930s. Lightweight passenger cars enabled the railroads to operate longer passenger trains; the reduced car weight meant that more passengers could be carried in a greater number of cars with the same locomotives.

The cost savings in hauling capacity coupled with the increased car type options led to the quick replacement of heavyweight cars with lightweight cars.

Wikipedia: Lightweight vs Heavyweight Cars