The Tichy gon is a great kit (I’ve got two built but unpainted), but it’s too long at 41’. What Chip needs are 34’-36’ cars. Both Bachmann and IHC make the cars he needs in plastic, but neither is really a great model. Westerfield, F&C and O&W Car Shops all make resin wood gons, but I don’t think he really wants to spring for a $35 resin car.
SCRATCHBUILDING a wood sided gondola out of plastic, on the other hand, isn’t really that hard at all. It won’t weigh much without a load, but any of us could bang out a pretty decent freelanced car in only a couple of evenings. MR has run plans for these sort of cars in the dim, dark past, if anyone’s interested in scratching a more proto-based car.
Good ideas. I’ll look oout for the IHC or Bachman. I don’t need the thing to work, just look good on the 4 sides. The carriage will be enclosed in wood as I will raise to the height of the tenders. What-ever the make, by the time I get done with it will be so rusted and covered with coal dust that it won’t matter who made it.
A side thought Chip and I may be wrong, in 1880 the railroad would have been fairly new and with yours based out in the west I dont guess there would have been much rainfall, therefor I dont know if there would really be that much rust on the gondola at all. Maybe I’m wrong, if so I’ll be corrected.
ukguy: Actually, SpaceMouse is modeling the northcoast of California, which has lots and lots and LOTS of rain (a brit friend I had up there said the weather was very English, although perhaps a bit warmer.) The American Southwest is pretty arid, but the pacific Northwest coastline is very damp country. It’s also near the coast so things will rust pretty quickly. Although you are correct in that the railroad would be fairly new (actually, historically speaking, not built yet) and shiny, other than things they wouldn’t bother cleaning like a coal dock.
SpaceMouse: A coal dock isn’t enclosed in wood, really–they are a loose gondola car (or later a hopper) because they are restocked by actually rolling a new gondola car up to the top of the dock. It’s not a stationary gondola car dedicated to holding coal in that spot. Your best bet might be a box of loose coal sitting on the ground–or, like I said, paint that sand black.
This 4 x 8 layout is not in the Pacific Northwest, although that is where the basement layout is heading. That is why the coal. I’m not sure where exactly this place is located, I’m just sort of pulling it out of my head, kinda like I did when I was writing Western fiction. When it comes together I’ll know it better. There is plenty of rain, semi-arid not desert.
I am picking structures that will move to the Pacific Northwest basement layout easily.