Model Railroading > MR&T gondola...

I realize that saying anything nice about Model Railroader is not very popular on this forum but I have been a reader and subscriber on-and-off since the mid 1960s and I still find a lot that is enjoyable or educational in it.  Recently Kalmbach offered an Accurail 41' gondola kit lettered for the Milwaukee, Racine and Troy, the Kalmbach freelanced layout in their offices.  Just on impulse I rdered one.  Every now and then I like to take a basic car and over the space of a weekend I tr to upgrade it a bit.  These will never stand up to contests or a Prototype Modelers event, but I find the projects quite enjoyable.  On this car I added wire grabs in place of the molded ones.  Since my current scenario involves 1969 UP and CB&Q I removed the COTS panels and added a repack date.  Some Intermountain wheels, some real Kadees to replace the Accumates and then some wear-and-tear were added.  

Gary B.
Waverly, NE

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Very nice work! The inside looks terrific!

TJY

Looking pretty rusty there!

Very nicely done.

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

Very nice job Gary.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

The nice weathering job on this one aside, I was baffled by why Kalmbach did this with a 40-foot car instead of a 50-footer. Their herald suggests 1970s/80s, by which most remaining 40-foot gons had been relegated to MoW service.
 

toledopatch Wrote:
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> The nice weathering job on this one aside, I was
> baffled by why Kalmbach did this with a 40-foot
> car instead of a 50-footer. Their herald suggests
> 1970s/80s, by which most remaining 40-foot gons
> had been relegated to MoW service.
>  

Because models of 40 foot cars were available?

PHall Wrote:
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> toledopatch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The nice weathering job on this one aside, I
> was
> > baffled by why Kalmbach did this with a 40-foot
> > car instead of a 50-footer. Their herald
> suggests
> > 1970s/80s, by which most remaining 40-foot gons
> > had been relegated to MoW service.
> >  
>
> Because models of 40 foot cars were available?

And with solid-bearing trucks, too.

That might be the answer.... they could only get AccuRail to do this, and maybe AccuRail doesn't make a 50-footer. Killed any chance of me buying any, though, and I doubt I'm the only one who looked at this and said, "A 1940s car in a 1981+ paint scheme? Nahhh."

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > toledopatch Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The nice weathering job on this one aside, I
> > was
> > > baffled by why Kalmbach did this with a
> 40-foot
> > > car instead of a 50-footer. Their herald
> > suggests
> > > 1970s/80s, by which most remaining 40-foot
> gons
> > > had been relegated to MoW service.
> > >  
> >
> > Because models of 40 foot cars were available?
>
> And with solid-bearing trucks, too.
>
> That might be the answer.... they could only get
> AccuRail to do this, and maybe AccuRail doesn't
> make a 50-footer. Killed any chance of me buying
> any, though, and I doubt I'm the only one who
> looked at this and said, "A 1940s car in a 1981+
> paint scheme? Nahhh."

Kalmbach does have MR&T decals available. 

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The nice weathering job on this one aside, I was
> baffled by why Kalmbach did this with a 40-foot
> car instead of a 50-footer. Their herald suggests
> 1970s/80s, by which most remaining 40-foot gons
> had been relegated to MoW service.
> 
Yes, this was a bit of a puzzler, except that Accurail seems to go after special run cars from clubs or businesses.  Accurail only offers the 41' gon, roughly a ;ate 30s through 40's car and after that gons generally went to 50'+.  The herald supplied is a "modern" one, but I accepted that it might pass for late 60's (the era for my home layout).  I did have to remove the COTS panels and the RPKD date covers a 1981 date.  Accurail makes a decent roller bearing truck, but perhaps it was cheaper for Kalmbach to go with a stock kit.   Since the MR&T is fictitious I gave the car a bit more lattitude.  The basic idea was to have a fun weekend project.

Gary B.
Waverly, NE

Looks great, Gary.  How'd you do the weathering on the inside of the gon?

- Jeff Carlson