Hi Jace; Generally only the very long (65ft) mill gons are noticeably more narrow than other cars.
I have a few wood and card kits that I or my Dad built, and we generally failed to do sufficient filling and sanding to get a convincing metal finish. Even if you do, most steam era cars were riveted rather than welded so the look is still not right. Any I build today; and I do have a couple of kits floating around; I will use the parts and plans to build in styrene and add Archer rivet decals. I'll save the wood for structures or wood cars. Pieter Roos Sent from my iPhone On Jul 15, 2013, at 7:29 AM, JGG KahnSr <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Bill's acknowledgment confirms my original point, that true mill gondolas > (the term tends to be applied loosely to any gondola > beyond the common 40' kind) are narrower than standard freight cars, and that > is something that makes them stand out in a > consist, in addition to their length. > My understanding for the narrower width is partly to negotiate clearances but > also because of typical loads, which tended to be > very heavy for their volume (e.g., steel rod and beams), so that if they were > loaded full width, the loading gage could compromise > their structural integrity. > > Jace Kahn > General Manager > Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co. > > > > To: [email protected] > From: [email protected] > Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 20:20:36 -0700 > Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} Mill Gondolas (was PRR G26 Completed [2 > Attachments] > > [Attachment(s) from scale S only included below] > > Hi Pieter and all -- > > A long time ago I bashed a 70 foot gondola from two AM gons based upon a > Lehigh Valley 70 foot car, though I made no attempt to duplicate it. Mine > has the standard width and ends as opposed to the LV car’s narrow width and > drop ends. Otherwise, it is pretty close, having the same number of panels, > I think. However, it was purpose built for the SLE&P and that oversize pipe > load, and is its own “prototype.” (photo) > > Going one step further, I took the remnants from the bash and made a heavy > duty gondola with no prototype whatsoever, but fun just the same. You will > note the owner... The company has changed the name, so the sloppy “steels” > will be replaced with “metals”, in a more Karnes like alignment. (photo) > > Not really part of the conversation, but of interest, is the bulkhead flat to > the left of the big gon. I cut down the number of panels on the bulkhead’s > structure to the apparently more common 4 rather than the 5 that the car had > when it came from SHS. This is based upon a D&RGW car’s photo, though I have > a couple of photos of other roads with that configuration too. It fits in > with the mid 50s era cars much better now that it is modified. > > Bill Winans > -------------------------------- > Hello Jace; > > Bill imported a small run of those gondolas in brass some years ago via > Pennsy S Models. > > The only other 65ft mill gons sold in S are older wood and card models from > Wisconsin Central, maybe Sunshine, and Lehigh Valley models. > > Dick Karnes had an article in an early Dispatch on splicing two AF gons. I > began a similar conversion, and narrowed the car to correct width, but the > rib count didn't match any known prototype. > > Attachment(s) from scale S only > > 2 of 2 Photo(s) > > > 002_edited-1.JPG > > 001_edited-1.JPG > > > >
