Exactrail CP MIL Gons

[lock4244]

So they are indeed doing the Marine Industries Ltd 65' gons for CP Rail... nice. Can't figure why that'd pick this car of all the unmade gons that are still out there, but who cares, this is great!

http://www.exactrail.com/index.php/exactrail-blog

[Philip H]

HOw very cool - too bad they didn't have any pictures.

[bbussey]

It's a signature car for the CP, correct?  Nothing wrong with an accurate model of a specific unique prototype in my mind.    Atlas, IMRC, Rapido, FVM, BLMA and ESM all have released single-road specific models in recent times.

Here is a pic - not the best, but you get the idea.  I saw the model in person, and Blaine was nice enough to let me pick it up and look it over.  It is very nicely done.

[lock4244]

Nothing wrong with it at all. Heck, there are MIL and HS bulkhead flats they could do, too. I'm not sure if only CP operates them, but it's likely.

[ljudice]

It would be a great car to offer faded and unfaded, since all of the ones I've seen are almost light tan in color these days....

[cv_acr]

Interesting. Too bad they didn't do the very similar NSC car which has a timeframe almost 20 years longer. (Blt. 1965 vs. 1982). At least the ExactRail car should be able to be bashed into the earlier car; I _think_ the dimensions and number of ribs are the same, the main differences are the ends and some of the attachment points on the sides for ropes/tarps.
Should be able to do the CN 1969-built NSC versions as well by bashing the ExactRail model.

[bbussey]

Hmmm ... I'm not familiar with the prototype, but I thought Blaine had told me the build date was the early 1970s.  Either way, I can justify one for my Conrail-era fleet.

[cv_acr]

CP's 65'6" mill gondolas:

336700-336799 Blt. 1965 NSC 3100cuft (5' IH) (Fixed ends, welded, straight sides)
336800-336849 Blt. 1957 NSC 1776cuft (3' IH) (Drop ends, riveted, fishbelly sides)
336850-336899 Blt. 1958 unk? 1776cuft (3' IH) (Drop ends, riveted, fishbelly sides)
337000-337099 Blt. 1962 NSC 2500cuft (5' IH) (Fixed ends, riveted, fishbelly sides)
337185-337299 Blt. 1979 HST 3155cuft (5' IH) (Fixed ends, welded, straight sides)
337300-337449 Blt. 1969 NSC? 3100cuft (5' IH) (Fixed ends, welded, straight sides)
337450-337549 Blt. 1982 MIL 3155cuft (5' IH) (Fixed ends, welded, straight sides)

I'm guessing the last series is the one ExactRail is doing. The Hawker-Siddeley series should be similar as well but I don't appear to have a pic of one.

[bbussey]

You can eliminate the riveted cars, as I distinctly remember the model had welded sides.  I wish I had thought to take my own photo at the time, as I would have focused on that model.  Of the series listed, I thought the `69 NSC car was what the model was based on, but the blog post refutes that.  I saw a clear pic of the HO version somewhere earlier today - I'll see if I can find that again and get the car number from that.

[bbussey]

CP 337186


In magnifying the above pic of the N scale car, it appears the car number there is the same.

So it appears they are representing the `79 HST series on the `82 MIL model - and that's assuming the blog information is accurate.  I am not familiar enough with either series to say if they visually are identical, so it still may be acceptable.  At the least, it will require only changing the fourth digit in the road number to a "4" or "5" to make it fully prototypical.

[cv_acr]

Here's a prototype MIL gon:



And managed to find one from the earlier HST series on fallenflags. The two actually look pretty identical.

[bbussey]

That's good news.  So the model can accurately represent either prototype.

[ljudice]

Fantastic on these new gons - but I have one question...

Is there some new technology or business model that is allowing all of these new single road cars? It's fantastic - just wondering how this is happening - since so many people used to say it would never happen...

I understand RP - but there's got to be more to it --- since obviously dies have to be cut, etc... to make this work. Are short run cars done with aluminum tooling - lower cost, shorter life or what???

Inquiring minds want to know!!!

[cv_acr]

That's good news.  So the model can accurately represent either prototype.

And by scratchbuilding new ends, it's also good for CP's 1965-built NSC cars. Which would be a very easy conversion because the ends are flat panels.

Very cool.

[sirenwerks]

That's good news.  So the model can accurately represent either prototype.

And by scratchbuilding new ends, it's also good for CP's 1965-built NSC cars. Which would be a very easy conversion because the ends are flat panels.

Very cool.

Any pics of the prototype car you're proposing?