SP Blackburn Beet Rack

A Folsom Locomotive Works product, fulfilled directly by Folsom Locomotive Works. Each order includes two racks — one of each variant — designed to pair with the Folsom Locomotive Works F-50-X flatcar series.

The Blackburn Beet Rack is a prototype-specific load representing one of the most distinctive and regionally significant freight operations on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Sugar beet harvesting was a major agricultural industry in California's Central Valley, the Sacramento Valley, and other SP-served farming regions, and the railroad developed specialized equipment to handle the seasonal surge of beet traffic from field to processing plant. The Blackburn rack was a removable steel rack system fitted to SP's F-50 series flatcars — the Southern Pacific's family of standard 50-ton capacity flatcars, encompassing designs such as the F-50-8, F-50-10, and other sub-classes — converting the general-purpose flatcar into a dedicated beet carrier capable of containing the loose, heavy beet loads during transit.

The use of removable racks rather than dedicated hopper cars reflected the SP's practical approach to seasonal agricultural traffic — the same flatcars could carry beet racks during harvest season and return to general freight service the rest of the year. The Blackburn rack's distinctive profile, with its slatted steel sides and open top, is one of the most recognizable pieces of SP agricultural freight equipment and a prototype detail that brings authentic California railroad character to any SP-themed layout.

This product is produced and fulfilled by Folsom Locomotive Works. Please allow a few weeks for 3D printing and shipping.