Pennsy G39a Ore Jennys

[inkaneer]

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

Other roads like the P&LE did the same.  It enabled the cars to be loaded in both directions. Coal was hauled to the lake for transhipment and iron ore was hauled back.  It was very easy to overload the hopper cars due to the weight of the iron ore.  Usually there was one bucket load over each truck otherwise the car was empty. 

[CONRAIL FAN]

If your going to produce the ore jennies, count me in for about 20-30. Most in CR some in PC and some in pennsy will make a sweet train. Just keeep me updated if you can on how it goes. thanks

[sd40-blue]

I would love to put together a "Z" train!! The good thing about Z trains, even 'til the mid-90's, was you could see PRR, PC and CR in different schemes. I remember seeing the occasional train to Greenwich rolling through Abrams. PRR gons pulled by brand new Dash - 8 widecabs, ya gotta love it!! Put me down for two dozen....... (just don't make them too heavy, please!!!)

Cheers!

[GonzoCRFan]

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.

True, but I would imagine the G43s got around the country a lot more than the G39s. So, instead of just limiting your potential buyers to PRR/PC/CR modelers, you could sell G43s to anyone modeling, say, 1966 to the present? If you're just out to please Pennsy modelers, then it's not the car to do.

[GonzoCRFan]

I remember seeing the occasional train to Greenwich rolling through Abrams. PRR gons pulled by brand new Dash - 8 widecabs, ya gotta love it!!

But who's gonna make us some good Dash-8 widecabs?  :'(

[inkaneer]

A unit train pf PRR G39's running on an Ntrak setup would look very nice I would think.  How many would I need for a prototype train?

[keystonecrossings]

A unit train pf PRR G39's running on an Ntrak setup would look very nice I would think.  How many would I need for a prototype train?

About 80... with mid-train helpers!

[inkaneer]

A unit train pf PRR G39's running on an Ntrak setup would look very nice I would think.  How many would I need for a prototype train?

About 80... with mid-train helpers!

I just knew that I should not have asked! 

[TrainCat2]

Kaching ... Kaching!!

Come to Daddy, Baby needs a new pair of shoes ...

[ljudice]

The ex-PRR ore cars were famously used very late on Conrail for the dirt trains
that ran over parts of the former EL and CNJ in Northern NJ...

http://www.cwrr.com/Lounge/Feature/dirt/dirt.html

I can't use these cars, but I am amused by the PRR vs. CR/PC argument here. I know
that in the largest RR shop in the northeast, in N-scale, interest in CR and PC is
much greater than PRR.

But, frankly if you want a monster hit - do NS TopGons!!!

[sirenwerks]

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

They did, just not by train, and in very limited quantity. I thought you were heading down the Fallsway. Sparrows Point's a long way from Fells Point, hon.

[inkaneer]

The ex-PRR ore cars were famously used very late on Conrail for the dirt trains
that ran over parts of the former EL and CNJ in Northern NJ...

http://www.cwrr.com/Lounge/Feature/dirt/dirt.html

I can't use these cars, but I am amused by the PRR vs. CR/PC argument here. I know
that in the largest RR shop in the northeast, in N-scale, interest in CR and PC is
much greater than PRR.

But, frankly if you want a monster hit - do NS TopGons!!!

Oddly enough the two things on my to do list when I retired was to make resin castings of the PRR G39 ore jenny and the NS Top Gons.   Those Top Gons are like crap.  They are all over the place.  Any way just a friendly bump to keep this thread near the top. 

[ljudice]

Re: Top Gons...

I'd even go for a conversion like Kel's ballast hoppers, cutting off the bottom of a
MTL or Atlas hopper and putting the new bottom on.  Actually the Atlas cars
would probably be easiest to do.

Not accurate, but to get the look and feel...

Lou

[KelNScale]

I'd even go for a conversion like Kel's ballast hoppers, cutting off the bottom of a
MTL or Atlas hopper and putting the new bottom on.  Actually the Atlas cars
would probably be easiest to do.

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but it looks very doable..

Bob, e-mail me private. I have a question for you..

Kel

[Chris333]

I found this single G39a behind Youngstown Steel Door Co. last week:

Probably belongs to the Ohio Central now.