> > they seem to be a prototype which didn't > > usually get far from the west coast. > > Jace Kahn
Someone once said that communication is the cause of 80% of the world's problems. That claim must have been true because our web site clearly states the following: "The GS series of drop-bottom gondola cars saw service all over the nation from the late 1940s through the 1980s. Wood-planked extension sides were added to some gondolas for sugar beet service, described in detail here: www.pwrr.org/prototype/sugarbeet/index.html" I believe it was Bob Hogan who said he has photos of this car with a load of scrap metal in the Atlanta, GA area. Another person, not on this list, has photos of this car in the Chicago area. There are published photos of this car in New England. It carred granular loads like sand, gravel, etc. which could easily be unloaded via the trap doors in the floor. It also carried pipes, logs, scrap metal, sugar beets (without the extension sides), and who knows what else. I do need to state that this car was used all over the USA for many different kinds of loads just to eliminate any misunderstanding. Research will show this and there is photographinc evidence according to many folks we have spoken with. No, I cannot steer you to a specific page in a particular book. But others can. All of that aside, Jace is correct that this is a unique car with a special personality. The trap doors have linkage and rods and handles etc. with which to operate them. Quite different from an ordinary mundane gondola. The trap doors themselves are an interesting feature -- full of ribs, hinges, etc. Look at the photos on the web site and you will see. Click here in case you have not yet done so: http://www.x2011west.org/nasg.html#convcars It is true that the sugar beet car saw service mainly in the central valley of California where the beet fields were located. No doubt about that. But y'know....the Mighty NYC will have two sugar beet cars rolling on its tracks next year because it is a very unusual car which will attract attention. Yes, it is a bit out of place, but maybe the NYC leased a couple of cars to try them out for a while. Sort of imagineering a reasonable excuse for something I just wanted. That's what I like about this hobby -- the degree of authenticity is whatever you want it to be. I am admittedly a loose kinda guy. Especially when I am trying to sell a bunch of cars. Cheers....Ed L. ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
