MTL releases Beige FEC gondola !

[Atlanticflier]

Page One:

From MTL:
This 50' steel side, 15-panel fixed end gondola is painted beige with white lettering and carries a sand load. It was built in May 1968, serviced in 2001 and runs on roller bearing trucks. This gondola was originally part of a 50-car series in general service to FEC. Many in this series were converted for specialized uses such as corn, aggregate and cement, hay or cross ties. Five of these cars were entered into MOW service and renumbered 3841, 3842, 3855, 3856 and 3865.

#105 00 516...$18.15

http://www.micro-trains.com/nr-floridaEastCoast.php

stay tuned for Page two:...........

[Bob Bufkin]

I think there is a closet FEC fan here who will get some of these.

[Atlanticflier]

Part  'Beige"

[Atlanticflier]

And a version for 'customizing'

[ljudice]

The only problem is that it's actually a 52 or 53' gon, not a 50' footer!

[Puddington]

............and do you think MT knows that and / or cares..............? MT is getting some what "uninspired" and are continuing to produce "sort-of/kind or "almost like it" cars.... man are they in need of some market research.............

[wm3798]

Okay, everyone get out the torches and pitchforks, but I actually think that's an interesting car.  Okay, so it's 2 or 3 feet short... doesn't the excessive ride height make up for that? ;D

Anyhoo, this is a perfect weathering project car...  I especially like this view


Regarding total proto fidelity, I'm a lot more picky about locomotives (although still not that picky) than freight cars... particularly off-line cars.  Locomotives are a lot easier to detail for specific prototypes that might be immediately recognizable, such as a side-mounted bell on a WM SD-40, or the flange oiler cabinets on the SD-35.  Freight cars, provided they more or less fall into the appropriate time frame, can more successfully blend in with the crowd in a long consist without minor flaws being readily apparent.

Having been built in 1968, I might just make my first MT purchase since the camp cars arrived almost three years ago...

Lee

[John]

The number of panels appear to be correct .. that could be enough for me to overlook a couple of feet ..

[davefoxx]

Having been built in 1968, I might just make my first MT purchase since the camp cars arrived almost three years ago...

Whoa! Be careful, Lee.  I'm guessing, but if the FEC gondola is dedicated to MOW use only, that might just mean that the car never leaves home rails and wouldn't make a visit to Maryland.  "MOW use only" might explain the lack of dimensional data on the side of most of the gons in the various pictures posted above.  Does anyone know if that information is required only on cars used in interchange service?

Dave

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I love when MTL picks cars like that, like all those company service tank cars, etc...

***** really bugs me.

[Kisatchie]

I love when MTL picks cars like that, like all those company service tank cars, etc...

s*** really bugs me.

I'm not sure if you mean this as sarcasm. If so, please reconsider. There must be many people who appreciate such cars and buy them, otherwise MTL wouldn't keep making them.


"Hmm... I appreciate termites
and welcome donations..."

[ljudice]

Don't get me wrong - If I modelled FEC, I'd get a bunch of these and do the re-painted numbers on the side.

The cars look like they faded to tan (like Amtrak or CSX MOW equipment)... So why doesn't MTL bill them as weathered???

The real problem is the lack of 1960's era 52/3 foot gons...

As far as MOW equipment, MTL could do lots of interesting stuff - Conrail's yellow end MOW gondolas, the 40' CR tool cars, NW/NS 50' tool cars, etc...

[wm3798]

I'll have to disagree with Ed, too...  Supposin' they did do a CR-specific MOW scheme...  Even if it was "close but no cigar" I bet you'd get one.

After years of trying to graft passenger windows into a boxcar, I was over-joyed to see the troop sleepers come out in WM MOW paint...

Okay, Dave, you've talked me out of it...  The price tag is a tad steep for something that I wouldn't really need to have.

Lee

[Allentown Hump]

Here's the car


It's not the number of panels or the length that the thing was that we should argue. It's more or less the color (or at least on how the color is advertised). I somehow don't think any FEC equipment was painted "Beige". Take these Ortner cars for example. Yes the top car is a repainted version of the bottom car, but here's a perfect example of what the Florida sun does to red paint. If they came out and just said the car was intentionally faded, I wouldn't see any problem. It's just the fact that they said the damn thing was painted beige that I find to be pretty comical! I would also love to see evidence that someone hauled corn in a gondola...

[ljudice]

There are a lot of freight car schemes that are classicly distinctive when faded - like the Golden West blue cars, a lot of SOU boxcars turn light reddish brown, etc...

It would seem to be a whole area for manufacturers to get into - selling the freshly painted and faded cars. 

Looks like Atlas is doing it with the CSX 90T hoppers and I think PWRS had faded potash cars at one time.

I would much, much prefer faded cars that I could weather, since fading is very hard to do on just the paint without getting the lettering, etc...