Trainworx drop bottom gondola

[Chris333]

Are these just really big cars in real life?

I've been meaning to pick one up and finally did. It is a great car with nice fine details, but when I put it in a train it looks like a huge car for a gondola. Does this car need anything, like lowering or is it spot on for the real cars?

[bbussey]

Pretty sure the model is based on a Rio Grande prototype and that it is sitting at the proper height.

[sirenwerks]

GN and NP also had similar gons which, in a normal train, look kinda monstrous.  It's a (north) western thing; since hoppers were less popular during the steam era out there, the gons were on steroids to accommodate loads of similar size to their Eastern cousins.

[TrainReign]

Are these just really big cars in real life?

I've been meaning to pick one up and finally did. It is a great car with nice fine details, but when I put it in a train it looks like a huge car for a gondola. Does this car need anything, like lowering or is it spot on for the real cars?

My measurements show them to be at the proper height. I haven't checked the length though.

[wazzou]

GN and NP also had similar gons which...

Unfortunately, 46' for the Trainworx cars... 6' and one too many panels to match the NP or GN cars. 

[nkalanaga]

Bryan:  That's why I don't have any.  They're perfect for the D&RGW, but look very out of place in GN or NP paint. 

As far as I know, all either had were 40 +/- ft cars, similar but not identical to the MT cars.

And then there's the GN's "hopper bottom gondolas", that look like a standard gondola with ballast hopper bays under the floor.  I haven't even tried to build one of those....

[bbussey]

I have one of the Rio Grande cars because it is 100% prototypical, and I will support any manufacturer that creates 100% accurate rolling stock for my era (tooling and deco) by purchasing at least one example for active duty.

[BN1970]

As it turns out, I bought a number of undec'd Micro Trains 40' gondolas to be used for Great Northern.

GN 40' GS gondolas were 41' over the strikers, the MT model is pretty much correct, including the height.  However there were some slight variations, so by doing a bit of research you can come up with a car series that is a close match for the MT model.

I agree with the previous comments in that the Trainworx drop bottom gondola was based on a Rio Grande prototype.  I've seen a few and they are very nice models, but they are much larger than what GN had. --Brian

[Chris333]

Guess they are just big, Thanks guys.

[CoalPorter]

Western Pacific too. The Trainworx model looks and measures up nice.
I think allot of the Rio Grande cars would come west with steel to California
to a US Steel plant in the bay area.

[CoalPorter]

The Micro- Trains version is good for another class of WP cars too,
so it is not a foo-bee.

[sirenwerks]

Western Pacific too. The Trainworx model looks and measures up nice.
I think allot of the Rio Grande cars would come west with steel to California
to a US Steel plant in the bay area.

In Pittsburg, originally on the Sacramento Northern but then ATSF via Sacramento connection,  when the Suisan Bay ferry ceased operations in '54.  Given the Rio Grande and WP's early co-dependency, there was significant mirroring of car designs.