(erielack) Gons with the wind

[MDelvec952_@_aol.com]

In a message dated 7/18/01 10:36:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
dlw_fan_@_hotmail.com writes:

> I believe that the Tichy Train Group 40 foot flat car kits are close.
>  I've also seen the Athearn gondola kitbashed for the cement gons.  It 
looks 
>  the part, but may not be perfect.

There were three basic types of cement gondola, none of which are exactly 
duplicated in HO scale. The Athearn car can represent the style of 40-foot 
gon with straight sides, as can the PRR gon of USRA-like design from 
Westerfield. The 40-foot car with fishbelly side sheets would be a lot 
tougher to model.  There were some (the number escapes me, two dozen, maybe) 
leased, MDT/NYC-built gons that were 50-plus feet long, and currently no 
models are available that even come close to these. A few of these were 
equipped to carry six canisters, according to railroad paperwork, but I've 
never seen a photo of any gons with six canisters in 'em.

Small story -- In 1998 Ed Kaminski and I were visiting the old Berwick 
facility after dusk, and we found a cement canister alongside one of the ACF 
buildings painted blue with pipes sticking out of it -- used for some sort of 
heating assembly.  It was photographed from every angle and measured by 
standing next to it (I'm six feet tall).  Tom Schmieder just returned from a 
speeder outing on the North Shore and has pictures of that same canister out 
in the open and no longer connected to the building.  

This would be a good chance to save it.  I'm not aware of any other examples 
of these canisters.  Any takers?  They weighed 22 tons in service and could 
be moved on a standard tractor trailer flatbed.  It wouldn't be a bad idea to 
put it into the gondola at Steamtown for display.  There were thousands of 
these running only in the East on four railroads in gondolas of many shapes 
and sizes.

                        ....Mike

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