Guys,
I’m looking for some gondolas for my modern layout and wondered what you guys recommend that has a good gondola that is being used one the rails today. If you can get pictures, that would be great.
One of Athearn’s blue-box gondolas would be right up your alley. I don’t know which prototype this car represents, but it’s a good “generic” version that looks good in anyone’s paint scheme.
Well they are several types of gons in use today including the “rail gon” type.There are also high side gons.
http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/gon/goncr.html
http://www.railarc.org/imagefetch3.shtml?i=DJJX-10144-valleypark_mn-[26-jul-2001]-000.jpg
Athearns 65’ gon should work, thier 50 ’ is okay, but lacks a true prototype, P2k’s are a better choice. Atlas has a newer version gon in the works…
Okay, how about this: I’m modeling the NorthWest with BNSF and MRL. MRL I don’t think have any gondolas but I know BN and SF and BNSF have some but I thought I saw some company with a gon that has the new BNSF “Swoosh” emblem.
I would stay away from the new Athearn 65’ Gondola. It is from an older prototype that and I believe that most of them have been scrapped. Check the built date and if it is past 1970 without being rebuilt, it is a fairly safe bet that the car is scrap or nearing it last legs.
I wasn’t sure of 65’ gon, but Atlas has a gon coming, a Thrall, not in BNSF, but some leasing companies and some roads, check their web site.
Good. Leasing Companies work too. It doesn’t have to BNSF but I was trying to keep with what is moved up there. I guess that it really doesn’t apply nowadays to have all of one’s railroads equipment on their own lines like back in the old days.
Walthers (52’ and 65’), LBF (52’ and 65’), and Athearn (52’ mill gondolas) all make modern gondolas.
I chose the Athearn 52’ mill gondola. The Falls Valley Railroad needed two of these for scrap service with the Athearn scrap metal loads.
I prefer the Proto 2000 52’6" gondolas and are eyeing two RTR’s (No kits, too many handrails) coming out within a month.
I do have like 5 Walters steam era gondola with 3 more coming but these wont fit very well into the modern age.
.
The only Proto 2000 gondolas I found are not modern.
Looks like it to me. Mine is Missabe, and has friction bearings.
The Proto 2000 gondola’s are very nice and have fold down sides for big loads. I’ve got 9 of them in ONR colours and they are incredible looking in the blue ONR paint. I’ve bought a few kits as well and for 1/3rd the price and a free evening they are great. The Athearn RTR RAIL GON gondolas look good as well and they come with a load already included.
Cars staying on home rails didn’t work at any time from c1900 (if not before). With interchange traffic the common cars (gons, box and flats) went where the load went so they got all over and all mixed up.
You don’t say what you are hauling in your gons…
High sides with rotary couplers would tend to run in block trains carrying coal to power plants. There are still reasonable Roundhouse kits around - especially in BN - like the car in th esecond link above (the one with the guy riding on it). Atlas, Walthers and LBF have done and still do numbers per reporting mark of the more recent coal high sided gondolas. These make nice unit trains… if you can afford them.
Low Sided Gons come in several variants… 50’, 52’6" (older) and 65’. These are variously fixed or drop end and General Purpose or Mill gons. Mill Gons have smooth (no intrusions) insides so that metal stock can be loaded side-to-side without getiing dented or bent.
Some Gons get labeled for specific service. I have a Walthers 65’ CSXT Mill Gon labelled “For Pipe Service Only”… so it’s loaded with scrap girder sections [:O]. Gons in regular clean service will tend to stay there and keep clean. Gons in general service can get really rough. Obviously the real dirty work like scrap metal is assigned to the real dirty gons as much as possible.
Most available low sided model Gons are pretty much the same side height. I’ve n
Modelers Choice makes some gon kits that are still around, These are craftsman style with builder suppling many extra parts including paint, trucks, couplers and decals
They are not modern, but they are still good gondolas and will find room on the railroad. I’m not too set in one era.
Atlas Trainman also has some modernish gons. The current Athearn RTR without the fishbelly sides is a reworked MDC gon, with better details. The Walthers 52’ gon is not bad either.