Gondola Rant...

[ljudice]

Is there any reason why manufacturers seem to avoid contemporary gondolas (except of course Atlas and to some degree Athearn along with Exactrail [although a one road gon is not too useful outside the SP world])

I thought for the most part gons were from a catalog and there should be plenty of roads to do for a number of models.

And of course I mean correct, 1960 era to modern era 52(3) to 65' cars...

[Rossford Yard]

Just guessing, but I suspect that we had generic box cars for a long time, then tanks, then covered hoppers, etc.  I believe that the mfgs probably sell fewer gondolas than any of those, and figured we would buy generics more readily.  Now that most other car types have some prototype fidelity, the gons make a good project.

Again, just a guess.

[wcfn100]

I thought for the most part gons were from a catalog and there should be plenty of roads to do for a number of models.

Not really.  Which should someone do, Pullman Standard, Thrall, Greenville, Bethlehem?  And roads like PRR and GN (and many others) built their own.

Which inside height, 3'6", 4'?

Fixed or drop ends?

I'm not sure there is a clear winner.

Jason

[Ed Kapuscinski]

G43... G43...

http://thecrhs.org/content/class-g43

[bbussey]

It will happen at some point.  Note that each general type of car is getting more and more unique and esoteric N scale models added to it, and the manufacturers are starting to move to other general types as the common ones are getting their fill.  Many variations of boxcars exist now, so we're starting to see more models on the hoppers and tanks.  Gondolas and flats will be coming eventually, especially with the vast number of prototypes to hit from the 20th century.

The G43 is road-specific, so it probably won't be among the first done.  I guess I shouldn't talk, since the G26 also is road-specific.  But I would guess that there will be additional gondola models coming down the pike - although not from ESM, as we have other niches to fill.

[asarge]

Personally, I agree with Lou on a gon, ,but not a modern one. My personal choice would be a decent 52' Fishbelly gon good from the 50's on. GATC or ACF would be a winner as I could load up on C&O's. A P-S car would be good to as L&N had a bunch.

[wm3798]

When you lead with "Why don't any manufacturers do what I want" then you list three that do, you kind of flatten your own tires.  But I dig what you're saying.  WM had a pretty esoteric fleet of gons, too.  Now that I find myself paying attention to some of the more subtle details, I'm hoping to find at least a platform to begin bashing from.

Lee

[ljudice]

I'll take Andy's suggestion...   I thought the 52' fishbellies dated more from the 1960's...

Basically a correct length gon similar to the MTL offerings  would be great.

[ljudice]

Lee - Atlas gets the gold medal in the gon department for sure...  Athearn has the Railgon prototype and they've run it in various schemes and not too often - although it is coming in January I think again. At least one of the schemes/numbers (UP) is definitely wrong for the car though.

I throw Exactrail in their because of the new SP gon, but it's not the most widely used or seen gondola on earth.... 

[bbussey]

And ironically, Tangent announced on Friday they are releasing an ACF 52' welded drop end gondola in HO, specifically the PRR G31B design that other roads also purchased.

New N scale models are being released by the trainload over the last three or four years.  Probably sooner rather than later a good transition-era 52' gondola or two will hit the market.

[asarge]

My guess would be sooner too, but maybe not real soon.

[Mark5]

Is this a common gondola?

http://www.wmwestsub.com/wmequipment21.jpg

I know that N&W had something similar.

Found a pic, the car might be shorter and certainly has less ribs:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=338942

Mark

[wm3798]

I can't put my hands on my color guide at the moment, but what you see there is the WM's version of the 65' mill gon.  There was a waterborne connection between Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point and Port Covington, and the WM moved a lot of material for them.  I'm not sure how many of those cars were rostered.  I'll have to look that up.

Lee