Corey Bonsall wrote:

>The Monarch branch had 300

of the offset 70000 series gondolas renumbered to the 80000 series in 1956 for the standard gauge conversion, and had the "Monarch rock service only" stenciled on them.  I imagine the 40 yr rule had them gone in 1962 though....

Corey,

There was no such thing as a "40-Year Rule" in 1962 (it was phased in starting in 1973), and it would only apply to cars used in interchange.  Cars in dedicated on-line service would not be affected.

Now I could point out that the CF&I mill at Minnequa was served by its own switching railroad, the Colorado & Wyoming, but two railroads could (and still can) agree to interchange equipment that was otherwise banned from _unrestricted_ interchange.

Scott Chatfield

I have attached a picture of a UCR GS gondola that I kit bashed out of the Details Associates Composite GS gondola many years ago. I built two that I shortened the doors in the kit and used them and then I built this one which I just used a styrene floor in place of the doors. You cannot tell the difference when it is on the track and it cut a couple hour out of the construction. The decals were a combination of Champ and Walthers. I have about four of five others started along with the similar 36 foot D&RGW GS Gondola and will complete them the same way without the doors. I will also put together artwork for accurate decals. I have just been waiting to get over to the Loveland area to get a few measurements off the last remaining car that I am aware of so that I can get some of the details a little more accurate. they are really neat cars.

What many people don't realize is that Utah Railway had another batch of all steel GS gondolas that were constructed by Ralston several years prior to these cars. They had straight sides with a very different operating mechanism for the doors. My understanding is that there were not doors over the trucks and so the ends of the car would have to be hand shoveled. Once the new cars came the old cars seem to have been quickly removed from service as pictures of them are very hard to come by after the mid 20's. One car was painted white and was used to advertise clean Utah coal. There are pictures of the "ghost" gondola in coal yards in California and Washington in some of the early trade magazines.

Shay Stark

I have attached a picture of a UCR GS gondola that I kit bashed out of the Details Associates Composite GS gondola many years ago. I built two that I shortened the doors in the kit and used them and then I built this one which I just used a styrene floor in place of the doors. You cannot tell the difference when it is on the track and it cut a couple hour out of the construction. The decals were a combination of Champ and Walthers. I have about four of five others started along with the similar 36 foot D&RGW GS Gondola and will complete them the same way without the doors. I will also put together artwork for accurate decals. I have just been waiting to get over to the Loveland area to get a few measurements off the last remaining car that I am aware of so that I can get some of the details a little more accurate. they are really neat cars.

What many people don't realize is that Utah Railway had another batch of all steel GS gondolas that were constructed by Ralston several years prior to these cars. They had straight sides with a very different operating mechanism for the doors. My understanding is that there were not doors over the trucks and so the ends of the car would have to be hand shoveled. Once the new cars came the old cars seem to have been quickly removed from service as pictures of them are very hard to come by after the mid 20's. One car was painted white and was used to advertise clean Utah coal. There are pictures of the "ghost" gondola in coal yards in California and Washington in some of the early trade magazines.

Shay Stark

In Oct '47 a fair number GS gons were headed north on the Inside Gateway (Oregon Trunk) at Bieber

44 ATSF XMR 10800 10999
45 DRGW GS 45000 45499
46 ATSF XMR 64200 64699
49 ATSF XAR 9000 9199
49 DRGW GS 71000 71999
56 UCR GS 20000 21999
58 DRGW GS 70000 70699
60 ATSF XMR 9200 9455
98 DRGW GS 40000 42500
532 GN FM 69500 69999

has any one done a UCR GS?

-- Allen Rueter StLouis MO

On Sunday, February 10, 2019, 3:04:40 PM CST, Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:

I have attached my only shot of one of the 36 foot GS gondolas which lasted in service until 1959,
if not later! (Just over 100 were still in service in 1955, a decline from the almost 700 cars in 1950.)

The photo is from Barstow, in the 1940's.

Tim O'Connor

On 2/10/2019 11:48 AM, Corey Bonsall wrote:

Maybe it's time I step out of the shadows to explain some of what I've been doing with these 3D printed cars...

Let's start with some history, most of which I have gleaned from Jim Eager's article in the second quarter 2002 issue of The Prospector (Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society, Volume 1, Number 2):

Overall, ten series of steel GS gondolas, built between 1908 and 1954, totaling 8,251 cars.

(All lengths are interior)

They started with 2501 of the 36 ft cars (40000-42500) in 1908-09, followed by 350 of the 40 ft cars (43000-43349) in 1912-13.  The big "offset" cars of 46 ft length (700 total in the 70000-70699 series) showed up in 1922, with 500 of the shorter offset 42 ft (45000-45499) cousins in 1926.  

I think Mark Hemphill (Thanks, Mark!) has me beat on the details of the rest of the fleet already in another thread that just showed up in my email...

Those are the cars I have designed and printed to this point, since I really wanted a fleet of D&RGW GS gondolas, but other than the brass W&R cars, and the somewhat close Red Caboose class of 42ft 46k series cars, there wasn't anything close.  As the time spent drafting up the cars is one of the larger investments I have, I started with what I wanted (cast grabs, for durability, and for large fleet expediency), and am working through adding a "blank" option for all of the cars for those who want the option to drill and form their own grab irons, and spend more time on the brakes.

The cars are all printed on a Form 2 printer, using their standard black resin (methyl-acrylic-something-something), but in response to Bill's question, it does NOT carve like styrene.  It can be sanded, or filed, but using a knife-edge makes it crack. Some of the dimensions I have to compromise, due to the limitations of the printer, but I think the overall result has easily passed my normal "Two Foot Rule" I use in my modeling.

Some of my finished cars should be visible in the album links below:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2190102484587585&type=1&l=14b0223f99

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1923391824591987&type=1&l=2cd9241278

I have not attempted resin casting, as there are a lot of overhanging details that I felt would not release from the molds, and I wasn't quite ready to jump into a second new avenue for myself.  I am doing this as a side hobby from my normal day job, so the progress can seem eternally slow.

I am grateful for the support I've received on this endeavor, and I hope to continue working through the many related possibilities in under-represented models as time allows.

Corey Bonsall
Bonsall Scale Carshops

--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts

Ron, thanks a million for the good start on MoPac.  Is there a MoPac freight guide anywhere, like was done for the Rio Grande by Jim Eager?

Allen -- I'm not aware of any UCR GS gons. If there were, I'd seriously consider chucking 1965 Tennessee Pass, for 1945 Soldier Summit. Fewer trees to build, that's for sure!  Also, those car counts from October 1947 are fascinating.  

Mark Hemphill