Freight Car Photos (model and prototype)

[jerryrbeach]

I built this Wheeling & Lake Erie gondola from a photo in a magazine.  The basis is an old Mantua gondola that had the correct number of ribs.  I sanded off the end details and rebuilt them from some styrene to match the prototype.  I also modeled the geared handbrake to match the prototype.  It has sheet lead hidden inside the car to add some weight.  I added a board floor to hide the lead, proto photo did not show the interior so I don't know if this car had a wood or a steel floor.  The actual color is darker than in the photo, the flash washed it out.

[tct855]

Jerry,
            Nice build.  My 2 ¢ is since it's all steel then the floor most likely is steel too.  That being said, I know wood floors were also used (in rebuild programs for example and special order cars also). If you bottom is always covered, then problem solved. ha.  Thanx Thom...

[ACL1504]

Jerry,


Well done, I love it. Great job sir.

Tom

[jerryrbeach]

Jerry,


Well done, I love it. Great job sir.

Tom

Thank you for your kind words.

[jerryrbeach]

Jerry,
            Nice build.  My 2 ¢ is since it's all steel then the floor most likely is steel too.  That being said, I know wood floors were also used (in rebuild programs for example and special order cars also). If you bottom is always covered, then problem solved. ha.  Thanx Thom...

Thom,

Your comment led me to go back to my small research library and see if I could find a definitive answer.  I found the prototype photo of this class of W&LE cars in the Train Shed Cyc #62 reprint by Gregg.  Photo only, no plan drawing, but no wood floor is called out in the caption, so I would think that you are correct and I should have modeled a steel floor.  I started this car several years ago from an article in an old issue of MR, dug it out and finished it up about a month ago.  The article covered 5 gondolas modeled using the Mantua/Tyco shell and no reference was made to the floors of any of the cars in the article. 

The Steam Era Freight Car group on Yahoo had a lengthy series of emails earlier this year covering the size of the boards used as flooring for steel gondolas.  IIRC the board widths were shown as 5 1/4" on a plan drawing cited by one of the members.  Inspired by that chain of emails, I added some sheet lead weight and used that 5" +/-width of stripwood for the floor boards.   

In my research, I did find a series of C&O gons that retained their original wood floors through their rebuilding in 1936, and a series of ACL low side steel gons built "for the mill trade" with wood floors. 

I have a partially finished Southern gon based on the same Mantua/Tyco shell.  I have not found any definitive information on the floor of this car, so when I do get to it, I'll be finishing it with a steel floor. 

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate your thoughts and comments.

[tct855]

Jerry,
         I've got to be honest here!  If it weren't for disclexya no dislexya no dyslexia, I'd never be right about anywho! ha.  Glad I could be right no inspire no guide no help!  Thanx Thom...

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