Santa Fe society open top car book:
On page 256 states, "All 75 GA-24 class four bay open hoppers and 45 GA-54 class twin hoppers were rebuilt with radial steel roofs salvaged form BX-8, BX-9 and BX-10 box cars which were then being rebuilt with all steel bodies. Six 20" x 25-1/2" roof hatches were installed, as well as interior grab irons at the center of the cars. These cars were neither reclassified nor renumbered. They remained as covered hoppers through the 1950s and then, like the GA-21 class covered hoppers, were gradually converted back to open hoppers." This was specifically done for a bumper grain crop. All of this was done in 1945.

p. 260-61 shows the hoppers with radial roofs, class GA-21 and GA-24. Text also says "As an expedient, all 75 quad hoppers of the GA-24 class as well as 25 GA-54 class twin hoppers were converted into covered hoppers at Topeka with radial roofs removed from ARA-design wood sheathed box cars which wee then being rebuilt with new steel bodies." Photos are of GA-21 and 24, no GA-54 is shown.

A low res scan of the Sunshine flyer can be seen at
http://www.sunshinekits.com/suninst/instmk01.pdf

The Priest "Heritage Santa Fe" book Vol. 2 shows 3 bay GA-21 182128 on page 129 (same photo in open top book).

For the 3-bay car, the Accurail model is probably better than the Bowser/Stewart, but both require a lot of upgrading.

The Sunshine flyer states that there were 25 GA-54s (2-bay), 50 GA-21's (3-bay), 50-GA-43s (3 bay), and 75 GA-24's (4-bay) converted this way. The instructions state "the 4-bay GA-24s can be created by converting the paired hopper bottoms of the Athearn four-bay to face one another. The Athearn 2-bay can be used to build the GA-54 by shortening the roof casting. Models of the GA-21 and GA-43 three bay cars can be built easily, using the roof adapted from the Sunshine Models BA-8-10 and a Stewart #10300 series three bay hopper kit.

I have not seen a photo of a converted 2 bay GA-54.

______________
J. Stephen (Steve) Sandifer
mailto:steve.sandifer@...
Home: 12027 Mulholland Drive, Meadows Place, TX 77477, 281-568-9918
Office: Southwest Central Church of Christ, 4011 W. Bellfort, Houston, TX 77025, 713-667-9417

----- Original Message -----
From: North Model Railroad Supplies
To: STMFC@...
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 9:54 AM
Subject: [STMFC] ATSF Ga-54 hopper with roof



Does anyone have a photo/scan they would be prepared to share of one of the
ATSF Ga-54 2 bay hoppers that had roofs added in 1945, please.

Various numbers within 180800-180999 - 45 cars in total.

Or where I could find such a photo, please.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

Dave North

Sydney

Australia

Steve Sandifer wrote:
There are photos in the society open top car book as well.
Sunshine did a mini-kit of these which includes a couple of roofs
to add to plastic cars.

David North wrote
Does anyone have a photo/scan they would be prepared to share of
one of the ATSF Ga-54 2 bay hoppers that had roofs added in 1945,
please.
Various numbers within 180800-180999 - 45 cars in total.
Or where I could find such a photo, please.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers
Dave North
Sydney
Australia