I saw on the web site below a green lettering Soo Line gondola. I was wondering if a company supplyed it…or would I have to paint my own.
I have seen the prototypes many times up in the UP. The SOO bought those for pulpwood service.
I have never seen a factory painted one, but perhaps someone else has?
Jim
Those gondolas look like Aggro stopped by with his weathering materials…[:-^]
Don Z.
Scale Rail Graphics offers this set.
Set 31056 - Soo Line Green Letter Gondola Set
(1 set does 2 (two) complete gondolas)
Click here to see a scan of the actual decals
- #31056 - N (N Scale) $3.00
- #31056 - HO (HO Scale) $3.00
But make sure they are instock before you order them he stopped printing decals up due o shrtage or printers and ink.
Soo put something on their freight cars called “Colormark”. I would guess that that might refer to some sort of color coding. I must have been asleep in class when someone explained how that worked on the Soo–perhaps it could be repeated here?
Ed
Part of Colormark orignally was color coding, but the most important part of it was listing loading features on the sides of cars.
Andrew Falconer
Here is an example: To distinguish between a standard boxcar and one with internal tie downs the standard one was painted brown w/ white lettering. The Colormark car was painted White w/ red lettering along with the check mark.
Other font colors, such as green and blue were used for gondolas, covered hoppers and flats.
Later the lines were blurred. Some boxes were painted white w/ black lettering and no Colormark logo. Eventually the system was abandoned.
Jim
Thanks for the explanation. I do wonder if having different colored lettering is really going to help if you’ve got someone who can’t tell a gon from a covered hopper. Still, it’s colorful.
Ed
Notice that these unique Soo Line Gondolas with Green Lettering are Integrated Bulkhead Gondolas. Modern Bulkhead Gondolas must have been made in HO Scale. If you do not have a Bulkhead Gondola to letter, forget the Green Lettering set until you build one.
Andrew
You will need an LBF Company or Walthers type of Mill Gondola with rolled ends to start the project.
The orginal rolled ends will have to be popped out or cut out.
New Bulkhead ends for the gondola will have to be constructed from a larger sheet of plastic.
The bulhead section will have to be framed at the edges to match the real cars.
Andrew
In the photos it shows that the bulkhead inside the gondola is a large flat sheet with U shaped braces welded on the back and a U channel welded as a frame to connect it to the sides of the car. This design will most likely have to be scratchbuilt, unless you can find some rare model company that injection molds the bulkheads.
Andrew
The Atlas HO Thrall 2743 Gondola Gondola is coming this June or July.
It is the same type of gondola, you will only need to modify the ends.
Andrew
You also will have to decide if you want your model of the SOO car to be one panel short–15 on the Atlas car or 16 on the SOO original. It’s also been noted that the Atlas cars have sides that are taller than earlier gons. This may also be something to make a decision on. I do agree that they have a very similar feel, though.
Ed
Here’s another starting point for you.
http://www.modelerschoice.com/freightcars/kits/250001.htm
Have a good one.
Bill B
In the photo of the Modeler’s Choice Thrall Gondola on the right side of the frame is a white gondola with bulkheads, just like the Soo Line Bulkhead Gondolas with Green Lettering.
What somebody needs to find out is how those bulkheads were built and does Modeler’s Choice have a source for them.
Andrew
I will probably take a 50’ mill gondola from walters or Round House products and cut off the ends. I will build the bulk heads out of stryne. I’ll see if I can find some of those decals or just order them. I would print them if I had the right printer. Thanks for the advice, this will add alot of interest to my rolling stock. I saw the red lettering gon…Just another car I can add to my long list of Soo cars I want.
I did notice the diffrent panal number on my Athern 50’ gon (I forgot the brand) the one in the photo has 16 panles, and mine has 14.
I just rembered that Walthers made a Thrall gondola in Soo Red lettering. I saw a Brown Soo line gon with bulkheads. I going to see if I can find a photo of it.
Andrew and WCfan.The bulkheads shouldn’t be too hard to scratchbuild using Evergreen styrene.They look to be about 7 or 8 feet tall.Maybe a foot deep.The Modelers Choice cars look to be easy to build as opposed to cutting up a model to change ends.
Have a good one.
Bill B