Pennsy G39a Ore Jennys

[John]

I'll take one!  Neat looking car. 

One? You going to run them as a unit train?

[keystonecrossings]

If'n we're gonna start askin' fer other Pennsy stuff, hows about a Class XL boxcar? One with a "bullseye" end would really be welcomed.  It's too early for Jerry, but not for me.

Maybe too early for me as an XL, but I'd love to have a string of them as a camp cars!!!!

[keystonecrossings]

How 'bout a G22 gondola? #1 gon on the Pennsy roster and nobody makes them!

(MT did letter a car as a G22 but it wasn't right.)

We should eventually be getting G26 mill gons from ESMC. Can't wait!

Brad tells me he has the plans for the G22, G22a and G22b. If the G38 is well received (hint, hint $$ sales), I will commit to the G22 series.

Dude, you could pass as an employee of PCM!!!

Announce a model that won't sell well and then announce that you'll make other models (that will sell well) only if the first one succeeds!!!

As a prosepective TrainCat dealer, I wouldn't be interested in pre-ordering ANY G39's... but I'd commit up front to 40-50 G22's!!! Heck, I'd bet I'd sell a hundred in the first six months!

[keystonecrossings]

Bob, I apologize, I sincerely did not mean to hijack this thread... it just kind of worked out that way. I'm obviously passionate about the PRR and I believe I have a pretty good handle on what will sell. Your experience may vary!!! 

[amato1969]

Yes!  Bring em on --  I can use a whole train load for Bethlehem Steel ore service!   

[GonzoCRFan]

Proto info...

G39 -- 1,000 built in 1961
G39a -- 1,000 built in 1964

 Did any survive to NS?

No. I don't believe any survived past 1995-96.

Although, personally, I think if one was to produce more PRR-specific equipment, a G43 gondola would be a better choice. Being able to buy those off the shelf would BREAK me...

[TrainCat2]

Dude, you could pass as an employee of PCM!!!
Announce a model that won't sell well and then announce that you'll make other models (that will sell well) only if the first one succeeds!!!
As a prosepective TrainCat dealer, I wouldn't be interested in pre-ordering ANY G39's... but I'd commit up front to 40-50 G22's!!! Heck, I'd bet I'd sell a hundred in the first six months!

Jerry, that went right through the heart!!!

What did I EVER do to you to be degraded as a PCM Salesman.

I am going to do the G22 after the G39's. The person providing the plans and photo artwork asked for them in return. Maybe other manf (reads as PCM) don't live up to promises, but I do. Even if I could make more money by doing the G22 right away, the G39's were promised first. So ... a tooling I will go ...  a tooling I will go ...

[Wlal13again]

I could use a bunch for my steel mill

[Iain]

I may not be able to buy them all at once, but I will eventually be able to use somewhere around forty of 'em.

[Chris333]

I see the USRAs were G25's not G22's

Still I would take either, but a G25 could be offered for many roads. Walther's did them in HO.

[keystonecrossings]

Proto info...

G39 -- 1,000 built in 1961
G39a -- 1,000 built in 1964

 Did any survive to NS?

No. I don't believe any survived past 1995-96.

Although, personally, I think if one was to produce more PRR-specific equipment, a G43 gondola would be a better choice. Being able to buy those off the shelf would BREAK me...

In a perfect world, it would be justiable for every model to be released. However, the reality is that the G43 was too few in numbers and too small an appeal. It has less appeal for Pennsy modelers than the G39's do. It was very late on the Pennsy. So you are largely limited to Penn Central (what market is that) and Conrail.

[keystonecrossings]

Dude, you could pass as an employee of PCM!!!
Announce a model that won't sell well and then announce that you'll make other models (that will sell well) only if the first one succeeds!!!
As a prosepective TrainCat dealer, I wouldn't be interested in pre-ordering ANY G39's... but I'd commit up front to 40-50 G22's!!! Heck, I'd bet I'd sell a hundred in the first six months!

Jerry, that went right through the heart!!!

What did I EVER do to you to be degraded as a PCM Salesman.

I am going to do the G22 after the G39's. The person providing the plans and photo artwork asked for them in return. Maybe other manf (reads as PCM) don't live up to promises, but I do. Even if I could make more money by doing the G22 right away, the G39's were promised first. So ... a tooling I will go ...  a tooling I will go ...

Hah, that worked!!! 

I sincerely hope you will follow through with the G22. Let me know if you need any supporting materials. The Alan Curtis Models F30a/F30d was all my fault! 

The G22 was the #1 gon on the roster in the mid-50s, at over 4,800 units. You mentioned the G22A and G22B... The G22A had only 7 units remaining and the G22B had 425.

Just for the sake of mentioning, the #2 gon was the G31A, a 52.5 footer, at just under 4,800 units, followed by #3, the G27, also a 52.5 footer, at just under 4,500 units.

The "top gons" are relatively close in numbers, unlike hoppers and box cars, which drop off dramatically.

[David Leonard]

Sometime around 1995/96, as has been implied, Conrail replaced all their ore cars with coal hoppers. I have a couple of video scenes I recorded before that date, and I must say, they were a really beat-up lot.  Any bad moldings of the model would still be suitable for the Conrail era!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh man yeah, with the friction bearing(!!) trucks and the "insulation" variations... what a motley bunch.

I wish I could sell enough organs to purchase two whole unit trains of them.

But then again, I don't think Sparrows Point got ore in the 80s... but damn, I'm gonna have to find an excuse.

[3rdrail]

Sometime around 1995/96, as has been implied, Conrail replaced all their ore cars with coal hoppers. I have a couple of video scenes I recorded before that date, and I must say, they were a really beat-up lot.  Any bad moldings of the model would still be suitable for the Conrail era!

Boy, "what goes around comes around". The PRR used coal hoppers for iron ore movements prior to building the G39's in the early 1960's. PRR was proud enough of these to have them enshrined in Grif Teller calendar art. ;D