--- On Wed, 10/14/09, Ray Breyer <rtbsvrr69@...> wrote:


From: Ray Breyer <rtbsvrr69@...>
Subject: Re: [STMFC] W&LE gondola
To: STMFC@...
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 8:19 AM


 

Bought a InterMountain USRA composite gondola.
W&LE #51720. This car looks good but is it
right?
Any suggestions?
Thanks, Mark Morgan

Hi Mark,

The W&LE had 1000 USRA composite gondolas, 51000-51999, built by Pullman and Standard Steel in late 1919. The Wheeling began converting these cars to all steel gons in mid-1929 (numbered 51000-S - 51999-S) and into all-steel low-sided gons (57000-57120) in 1938, with the last composite cars dropping off the roster by April 1940. When the cars were rebuilt they lost their diagonal side bracing.

The lettering and colors of the Intermountain model match the 1926 in-service photo that I have of these cars (down to the road number). I believe the ends are wrong on the model; photos that I have of the rebuilt cars show flat ends with two horizontal z-bar ribs, while I think the Intermountain cars come with corrugated ends.

Hope this helps!
Ray Breyer



















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