Northern Pacific GS Gondolas

 

Two prototype photos, Minnesota Transportation Museum or Minnesota Historical Society (uncertain,) courtesy of James Dick and Aaron Gjermundson

After Springfield, I had posted some info about the PRR G22 gondolas, including the upcoming Rapido offerings and other HO scale models, and followed up with my G22 modeling efforts. What I forgot to do was post about the Northern Pacific GS gondolas that are also coming from Rapido featuring a joint effort with the NPRHA (links to gondola and wood chip car reservations.) The NP had two groups of virtually identical cars built in 1940 by Pressed Steel (car nos. 50000-50499) and by the NP's Brainerd, Minnesota shops (car nos. 50500-50749.) The photos directly above and below are of the series built in 1949 by the NP. The earlier cars are quite similar, with the biggest differences being trucks and hand brakes. The car displayed here had ASF A-3 Ride Control trucks and Superior hand brakes. The model displays a car with cast steel double truss sideframe trucks and Ajax power hand brakes.

Diagram for the 50000 series built 1940

The cars in this series were equipped with Scullin (50000-50249) and ASF (50250-50499) truck sideframe castings, although they both follow NP casting pattern FS-589, making them virtually identical in HO scale (the prototypes would have had data cast into the sideframe that is legible in HO, but not from more than a few inches away.) Draft gear included Cardwell-Westinghouse NY-11-E (50000-50099,) Miner A-22-XB (50100-50299,) Peerless H-1 (50300-50399,) and Waugh Gould No.43 (50400-50499.)

Diagram for the 50500 series built 1949

Test shots for the models were on display at Springfield. The actual designs were developed in conjunction with noted historian and modeler Rick Leach and the NPRHA, assuring a high degree of accuracy. As can be seen in these photos, the model is a faithful replica of the prototype. While these did see varied service on the NP, like all gons, they did wander and could be seen just about anywhere. They lasted well into the 1970s.

Thank you to Aaron Gjermundson for providing information and photos about the prototypes and to Jim Dick for also adding information and clarifying details.

Illinois Terminal 1937 AAR Box Cars

 

The photo shown above (Karl Geffchen photo, Aug. 1978, from the Fallen Flags site) was posted to the Railroad Modeling the 1970s Group on facebook with a query about details. I posted an answer there, but thought these cars would make an interesting post overall. So, here goes. I will cover the photo above first even though it is the last chronologically, since it is the genesis of this post. It is an ITC 1937 AAR box car that was modified with a wider door opening (six feet to eight feet, although it's possible it's seven; my most "modern" ORER is only from '61 so I am uncertain; if you know, please leave a comment below) and a side sill support spanning from body bolster to body bolster as well as additional bracing where the door posts meet the side sills. Presumably, it also received the underframe modification as shown in the last photos below. Note that this car is one of the members of the group with AC&F proprietary ("Carbuilder's") ends.

East St. Louis, Illinois, 1938, R. J. Foster photo, from Joe Collias

ITC 6041 was from the first group of 1937 AAR box cars acquired by Illinois Terminal (car nos. 6000-6099, 100 cars.) They were built in 1937 by AC&F and were quite "standard" in their details, including Youngstown corrugated steel doors with early Camel Roller Lift fixtures, square corner Dreadnaught ends, Murphy rectangular panel roof, double truss spring plankless trucks, Ajax power hand brakes and wood running boards and brake steps.

American Car & Foundry photo

ITC 6299 was the last car in the second group of 1937 AAR box cars, also from AC&F and built in 1941 (6100-6299, 200 cars.) These had Youngstown doors with Camel fixtures, Murphy rectangular panel roof, double truss spring plankless trucks, Equipco power hand brakes, wood running boards and steel plate brake steps. What made them unusual were the round corner AC&F proprietary ends, as shown in several of the photos herein.

circa 1955, Paul Dunn photo

Circa the mid-1950s, many cars were fitted with side sill support extensions, as shown above as well as bracing where the door posts meet the side sills (click on photo for a larger view.) The door opening remained at six feet. The placard boards were also lowered, as shown.

ebay purchase, undated

At some point in the 60s, cars received heavier side sill support sections, spanning the body bolsters, as shown above and in the first photo of this post. The door openings were increased and the doors were replaced with improved Youngstown corrugated steel doors. The underframe stringers were also augmented. The cars originally had one zee bar stringer on each side of the center sills and between the bolsters and the end sills incorporated a diagonal brace at each corner. As shown, these were augmented with two I-section steel stringers on each side of the original stringers and three I-section stringers on each side of the draft gear, replacing the diagonal braces.

ebay purchase, undated

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

 

Westerfield PRR X23 box car (coming in styrene from Rapido)

I used to be able to look at layout photos in a magazine or visit a layout and immediately know that a person was a builder of rolling stock (or not) just by perusing what was riding on their rails. It was easy to spot cars that you could only obtain by building a kit from Sunshine, Westerfield, F&C, WestRail, Yarmouth or Speedwitch. However, the market has made it so that cars specific to a single or a small number of railroads are available as high quality, ready-to-run offerings that rival and, in some cases, surpass the resin offerings. This means that a great number of model railroaders can populate their layouts with exceptional cars without the fuss of building them or to paraphrase, this rising tide of cars lifting all boats (and sometimes overpopulating... how often do you see a non-B&O or Milwaukee layout with three Wagontop or Ribside box cars, respectively, a figure all out of proportion to reality?) However, as my late friend Richard Hendrickson used to say frequently, "these are the good old days..."

Above and below are a sampling of cars that I built as resin models that have been released (or will be) as injection molded, ready-to-run offerings.

Westerfield New York Central USRA-design steel box car kitbashed with narrowed IMWX roof (released in styrene by Broadway Limited)

Sunshine Models UTLX X-3 tank car (released in styrene by Rapido)

Sunshine Models B&O M-53 Wagontop box car (released in styrene by Fox Valley and Exactrail)

Sunshine Models Milwaukee Road Ribside box car (released in styrene in various versions by Exactrail, Intermountain, and Ribside Cars)

and just to illustrate the reverse, here is a Rapido model that I built (of a car that I had also built from a Sunshine kit years ago.) While there are many ready-to-run versions of this NP prototype available from Rapido, I bought an undec and painted and lettered it, with a few detail enhancements (read more about that via this link.)

Modeling the Pennsylvania G22 Gondola in HO scale

 

I built this model so long ago that this tiny image is all I have. It's from the days of scanning images from actual photographic prints! The model is a Westerfield G22 kit with a pipe load from drinking straws

For HO scale modelers, there is no shortage of options to replicate the PRR's G22 classes of gondolas. The first (to my knowledge) were the Westerfield resin kits, some of the earliest offerings that he produced, with the first kits from Elk Grove Village, IL (before his move to Tennessee) using the graphite-colored, brittle resin. With the move to Tennessee, he shifted to the familiar, flexible grey resins used since, with the exception of the metal-floor castings. These were (and still are) extremely nice replicas of the three main classes of G22. The model pictured above is one of my efforts from 20+ years ago. Westerfield offers containers for these cars, too.

image courtesy of brasstrains.com

Railworks imported some excellent brass models of the G22 and G22B, as well. The G22B, with containers, is shown in the image above. Note that the containers are separate, a nice feature. One nit that I will point out (unless someone out there tells me I am mistaken): all photos I have seen of the Railworks G22 class gons are equipped with 100-ton coil-leaf spring trucks, like the ones shown on (and correct for) the G22B model above, instead of the 70-ton trucks that they should use.

Rapido is offering the three main classes, G22, G22A, and G22B, as well as containers

Within the last week, Rapido has announced that they will produce injection molded models of the G22 family of gons in HO scale. Given the large number of these cars, it is not a surprise. The test shots shown at the ARHS show in West Springfield look quite nice and should please the vast majority of modelers. There will be models of all three main classes plus containers (a single block of containers.) Nice features are the well-detailed cast metal floor and both types of trucks. There are many schemes being offered, including undecs. Visit the Rapido site for details.

This brings me to the final entrant in the G22 sweepstakes: the Funaro & Camerlengo kit that I have been building on and off for the past few years. It is a one-piece, cast resin kit for the modernized version of the G22 and it includes interior stake pockets. It is a fairly simple build and recommended for those new to resin. However, I do have a caution... there were several air bubbles and even a void caused by air in the sides and top of the sides. I did some filling and patching, but if you are new to resin, that would be a huge drag to deal with. Beware!

Rather than chronicle the entire build, I will list what I did differently from the basic kit. Apologies for the images of the white F&C resin... it's hard to see, whether building or photographing the model! In no particular order:

• I replaced the cast resin sill steps with more fine and durable ones from Yarmouth, augmented with 0.005" styrene "mounts" (rivets to be added)
• I used a Precision Scale retainer valve and 0.008" wire
• I opted for Yarmouth Carmer uncoupling devices, again in the interest of fidelity and durability
• The brake staff bracket was fashioned from 0.003" brass cut to a strip and shaped as shown with no. 80 holes added, then secured with Scale Hardware 0.4mm rivets on posts
• The brake staff and hand wheel are spare Overland Models parts picked up years ago
• The lower brake staff bracket was fashioned from 0.15mm phosphor bronze, cut to shape and bent as shown, augmented with chain and wire for the linkage to the main brake rod [I don't have great photos of this bracket; what you see is my best guess from the images I do have.] Note that the brake staff has to pass through the end sill, then the chain, then the bottom of the bracket... fun to assemble!
• 1x4 styrene strip, 10 scale inches long, to simulate the route car boards. Rivets to be added
• Yarmouth angle cock parts with Moloco rubberized angle cock/air hoses
• Bowser Crown 70-ton trucks with Reboxx wheelsets
• Speedwitch pressure head cylinder and integral lever bracket (in stock as I type this)
• Scratchbuilt styrene top corner gussets
• 0.010" wire grabs
• 0.005" 4-inch wide crossbearer cover plates (more like splice plates really)

Click on any image to enlarge

Note the sill steps and retainer valve

these images highlight the Carmer uncoupling devices, the brake hardware, the top corner gussets, and the angle cock/air hose

The styrene route card board is visible just above the side sill, along with one of the casting "voids" that necessitated filling and repair (the grey area just below the bulb angle at the top of the side

The photos herein show the model after I blasted the metal and engineering plastic surfaces with 600-grit aluminum oxide, to create a better condition for paint adhesion. I need to add a few rivets in various places and then it will join the NH '37 AAR box car at the paint shop.

Pennsylvania Railroad G22 Gondola

 

Note the abuse to the grab irons on this G22... it's ok if your grabs are bent and dinged! Zanesville, Ohio, 1954, John C LaRue, Jr. Collection

With over 6,100 constructed from 1915 to 1917, the PRR G22 was the backbone of the Pennsy mill gondola fleet from World War One through to the start of World War Two and, numerically, was still a large fraction of the PRR fleet into the 1950s. In addition to their general service as mill gons, G22s were also used to haul containers, as shown. The container gons were assigned to class G22B.

G22 PRR 750902 had an interesting load when photographed. Merrilees Collection, National Archives of Canada, neg. no. PA204761

The G22 arrived at a time when the length of mill gondolas was increasing. Contemporaneous to the G22, the Wheeling & Lake Erie received 46' gondolas from Pressed Steel that were generally similar to the G22, and became the foundation for the USRA 70-ton mill gondola. The New York Central System rostered an impressive fleet of composite 46' gondolas built in the beginning and middle of the 1910s. 

PRR G22B was in container service when photographed in Mansfield, Ohio, on October 18, 1952 by Col. Chet McCoid. Bob's Photo. Note the large placard board in the centered on the car side and the 100-ton trucks.

The G22s were built in two styles: the G22 had fixed ends and four small hoppers in the steel floor while the G22A had drop ends and a tight steel floor. The quantities were roughly 2:1 with 4,000 G22s ordered and 2,150 G22As ordered. Beginning in 1930, cars from the G22 class were modified with tight floors for use in container service, creating the G22B class. Most of the hoppers were removed from the cars in the G22 class beginning in the late 20s and continuing forward. Cars with drop ends had them replaced with tight plate steel ends, with three stiffening ribs applied. For more info on this large and complex group of cars, I highly recommend Pennsylvania Railroad Gondolas by Al Buchan and Elden Gatwood, which contains a trove of information and photos about the massive Pennsy gondola fleet

I will have a follow-on post in a couple days about modeling these important cars in HO scale (there are a lot of options!)

Milwaukee Road 40' and 50' Single Sheathed Auto Cars of 1928 & 1929

 

This photo shows one of the 40' cars with a raised roof. Big Four Graphics

In 1928, the Milwaukee Road received 300 single sheathed automobile cars from American Car & Foundry. These were assigned to series 593025-593324. This was followed in 1929 by orders from Bettendorf (nos. 593325-594324) and Pacific Car & Foundry (nos. 594325-594524.) All of these cars were nominal forty-foot cars, with end doors on cars 593025-593324 (AC&F) and 593325-593374 (Bettendorf.) Cars without end doors had 8" x 14" lumber doors in the A ends. All cars were single sheathed construction with 3/3/3 square corner Dreadnaught ends, Youngstown corrugated steel doors, Hutchins Dry Lading roofs, Dalman one-level trucks, and Klasing power hand brakes (early type with vertical shaft and hand wheel) on cars 593325-594524 and what appear to be unpowered, shaft hand brakes on 593025-593324. Some cars received Evans auto loaders and were renumbered to series 595000-596147. Further, the cars in the series 595000-596147 had their roofs raised by seven inches and their racks removed (likely in the lead up to and during the war.) Finally, in the postwar period some of the raised roof cars had auto loading racks (re)installed and were again renumbered, to the series 597000-598143. By late 1951, there were only two cars remaining in the 595000-series. When racks were removed, the cars were renumbered back into the 595000-series.

Good photos of the 50' cars are rare, but this is noteworthy not only for its good illustration of many of the traits of the cars, but also because, for some inexplicable reason (before its derailment shown here) the entire car was repainted and stenciled by the Northern Pacific (as opposed to the owner, the Milwaukee Road.) Bob's Photo

In 1929, Pullman Car & Manufacturing built 500 fifty-foot automobile cars for the Milwaukee that were assigned to series 271500-271999. The cars were essentially longer versions of the forty-foot cars, with an additional panel on either side of the doors. In all other respects they were identical, including the same ends, doors, roofs, trucks, lumber doors, and even Klasing power hand brakes. They did not have auto loading racks. 

These cars are the subject of a blog post because the next kit release from Speedwitch will be the fifty-foot cars. The completed model will be profiled here in the next week or so. It is likely these will be followed at some point in the future by the release of a kit for the forty-foot cars.

This crop of an FSA-OWI image provides a fine view of the Universal power hand brake, an enhancement when the roof was raised, as well as the tell-tale line at the top of the end, showing the additional section added to accommodate the raised roof. Jack Delano photo 

Comparison of 12-Panel Box Cars - Southern Pacific and Great Northern

Many years ago (longer than I can believe) I built the model shown above* and patted myself on the back for having made an SP class B-50-25 12-panel 10'0" inside height postwar AAR box car. Truth be told, it's an acceptable outcome. However, it is many years later and I am now an SP modeler and this B-50-25 model no longer scratches the itch. Why? Well, there are numerous differences between the GN 12-panel box car (the basis for the Intermountain kit used to make the B-50-25) and the SP and T&NO's B-50-25 and -26 classes of 12-panel box cars.

First an interesting point: while the GN 12-panel box cars garner lots of attention, the SP had a sizable fleet of 12-panel cars and if confined to the inside height of 10'0"/10'2", the SP/T&NO cars were more numerous, at 3,475 for the GN vs. 5,600 for the SP/T&NO. 

There are several well-documented differences to these prototypes: the end panels on the GN cars were welded together while they were riveted on the SP/T&NO. The side sill support tab sections on the GN cars were welded to the underframe crossmembers while they were riveted on the SP/T&NO. The door stops on the cars were different for the GN vs. SP/T&NO. The GN cars used Murphy diagonal panel roofs while the SP/T&NO had rectangular panel roofs. These differences alone add up to these being quite different looking in aggregate (not to mention the early Improved Youngstown doors on the SP/T&NO B-50-25, with their wide overlapping sections.) The Intermountain models skew all of these detail differences in favor of the GN cars, making an SP/T&NO model a compromise on many levels. I did address many of these things in my model shown above, but the difference in the side construction was not addressed. Here is what that looks like (click on the images to see a larger view)

March 22, 1959, Hamlet, NC, Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo

June 6, 1948, Wilmington, CA, courtesy of Paul Koehler

Yes, these differences are subtle, but when added to the ledger of other differences in roof, ends, doors, side sill support sections ('tabs') and additional details, it all beckoned me to take the plunge and fix everything. So, I have created new side and end patterns to be incorporated into a full kit with one-piece resin body, accurate side sill support 'tabs' for the different builders (they were different!), correctly spaced ladders, etc. for the B-50-25/-26. Stay tuned as these will be available this year from Speedwitch.

*one interesting thing I found when making decals for the B-50-25 is that the Pressed Steel cars (which the model is based upon) used a zero for the 'O' in "SOUTHERN PACIFIC" lending a pronounced oval shape to the character, as opposed to the more rounded "O" as shown in the prototype photo of B-50-26 SP 59057, shown above. The prototype photo of SP 21264 is shown below

November 9, 1947, Reading Allison Hill Freight Terminal, Harrisburg, PA, Bob Charles Collection, Kalmbach Memorial Library