General Information

General Gondola Info

1. Gondolas are not self-clearing. Sloped sides are not the same as slope sheets. The latter make  a car self-clearing, that is, opening the bottom doors allows ALL the cargo to depart. That is NOT true for gondolas like GS (drop-bottom) types of gondolas. Non-self-clearing cars are gondolas, whether their sides and ends gently slope or not.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

S.P. Gondola Codes

1. G         = gondola 4,5,6 = length
   

2. GxR     = gondola with a roof - G5R for example.
   

3. GCx     = Wood chip gondola - 1,2,3,4,5 pertains to the cubic capacity. The GC5 came in two types, the "standard ace" and the    
   

4.                 Medford ace" - each had the same cu. ft., but the Medford Ace was dimensioned to fit the Siskiyou Line.
   

5. GB       = Sugar Beet gondola -
   

AAR Car Designations

Class “G” – GONDOLA CAR TYPE

1. GA – Open top car having fixed sides and ends and drop bottom, consisting of doors hinged crosswise of car to dump between rails.
   

2. GB – Open top car having fixed sides, fixed or drop ends and solid bottom, suitable for mill trade.
   

3. GD – Open top car having fixed or drop ends, solid bottom and sides equipped with doors for dumping.
   

4. GH – Open top car having fixed sides, drop ends & drop bottom, consisting of doors hinged at center sills to dump outside of rails.
   

5. GS – Open top car having fixed sides and ends and drop bottom, consisting of doors hinged at center sills or side sills to dump
   

6.     outside and/or inside of rails.
   

7. GT – Open top car, having high fixed sides and fixed or hinged ends and solid bottom, suitable for unloading on dumping
   

8.     machines only.
   

9. GW – Open top well-hole car for transportation of special commodities. A solid bottom car with fixed sides and ends, having one
   

10.     or more openings or depressions provided in floor, permitting the lading to be lowered in order to obtain overhead clearance.
    

Modeling Information

Modeling Gondola Decks

Wood Decks For Gons

1. Wholesale Pricing/FREE Shipping*. Laser cut wood decks for HO scale gondolas. The decks are sold in 4 packs.
   

2. Proto 2000 gondola 4 pack   $9.95
   

3. Athearn gondola 4 pack   $9.95
   

4. ERTL gondola 4 pack   $9.95
   

Trucks

1. Use Kato 31-601 ASF ride controls. They roll very well.
   

2. 
   

3. Those rigid Accurail trucks could be replaced with Reboxx code 88 1.020" wheelsets (insulated one side only) and they will not only look more like real railroad trucks, but they will outperform even the Katos for a fraction of the cost. 
   

4. Paul Chandler
   

Adding Weight to Beet Gondolas

1. Only add weights to ones with loads. Put the required number of Aline stick on weights in the bottom, then a piece of Styrofoam, then a thin sheet of styrene that was painted a muddy dirt color. A thin mound of anise seeds covered that.
   

2. Jim Pattison
   

3. 
   

4. You have to be able to operate them effectively, whether loaded or empty. On my layout, nearly all open-top cars MUST be operable loaded and empty, certainly including beet gons. Add sheet lead weight under the drop doors, which does not get you up to the NMRA recommended weight but is a BIG help in tracking.
   

5. Tony Thompson
   

6. 
   

7. Contact Bill McClung at Red Caboose at stacktalk2@aol.com. He has the weights that use to come with the kits. No they won't bring the cars up to the NMRA standard by themselves, but they do help. They are placed under the plate that makes up the bottom of the car so the weights aren't seen. The real reason that they weren't included with the kits (and other kits that Red Caboose made) was because of the weight for shipping and the increased cost.
   

8. Jim Scott
   

1. Lay sheet lead over the floor and weathered it. Just don't look for floor detail. It was the right gauge thickness to bring the cars up to NMRA weight specs with the added load. Don’t mess with their great underbody detail. The Red Caboose kits came with a thin steel weight. Substitute that with the lead sheet and it brought the car up closer to NMRA specs.
   

2. Steve Phillips
   

Blackburn Beet Racks

1. The sugar beet cars which preceded those GS gons were Blackburn patent beet racks on flat cars, racks which could be removed and stored outside of harvest season. There were several versions of these racks at different eras (see pg. 198 of  Freight Cars Vol. 3, as well as pages 164 - 167 in Vol. 1). The old Blackburn patent beet racks were a removable device attached to flat cars. This rack has about 1800 cubic feet capacity. Side doors are hinged at the top, and there is an A-frame inside which allows the car to be self-clearing when doors are opened. In later years, side boards were added at the top of the sides and ends to permit heavier loading of these racks. The larger extensions, having five boards above the door hinges, added fully 1200 cubic feet or so to the base capacity of the racks of around 1800 cubic feet, making the total around 3000 cubic feet.
   

2. 
   

3. The exterior being 34' X 9' X 7' 4".
   

4. 
   

5. In analyzing a conductor’s time book, the numbers of beet racks and GS gondolas in the beet trains were roughly similar in 1948. When the first composite gons arrived in 1948, the Blackburn racks began to disappear. By 1953 it is a serious stretch to have any
   

6. but the G-50-20 gons (without extensions in 1953) handled the great bulk of the beets.
   

7. Tony Thompson
   

1. The sugar beet harvest season is in the fall, so if you're not modeling the fall, the racks will be piled in the yard, and your flats used in other service. This goes for the composite gondolas as well - they'll be hauling other cargo during the winter, spring, and summer months.
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. The only lettering on the side of the rack was a number that looks to be about 6" high B-XXX with the "X" being a number.
   

2. The best photo for lettering on the rack is on p. 165 of Freight Cars Vol. 1.
   

References

1. The best source for dimensions is the 2d Edition of Pacific Electric Album Interurbans Special No. 39.
   

2. The same PE diagram is in Freight Cars, Vol. 1, page 164.
   

3. Tony Thompson
   

Modeling Blackburn Beet Racks

1. This is the rack design followed by Pat Bray in his scratchbuilt version, shown in my post on my gondola fleet (at:
   

2.                                                                     http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2011/04/choosing-model-car-fleet-8-gondolas.html
   

3. Tony Thompson
   

1. Cast decent coupler lever brackets for your SP beet racks.
   

2. D.A. Waggoner
   

Owl Mountain Models (Blackburn Beet Racks)

                                                                        http://owlmtmodels.com

Sugar Beet

1. The beets varied quite a bit from the ideal "elongated top" shape, bring very irregular & lumpy.Most were between about two & four lbs., about 10" to 16" long.
   

1. Sugar beets grown near our orchard in the Brentwood area, were covered with dark, almost black dirt. Beets that were  much drier, were lighter in color.
   

2. Ken Clark
   

References

1. Sugar beet photos from the web:
   

2. http://tinyurl.com/SP-beet-gon
   

3. http://tinyurl.com/ideal-beet
   

4. http://tinyurl.com/3axpvdt
   

5. http://tinyurl.com/28vtpyf
   

6. http://tinyurl.com/3yp2a6w
   

7. http://tinyurl.com/274xxt5
   

8. http://tinyurl.com/2erskvl
   

9. http://tinyurl.com/2c3zqsm
   

10. http://tinyurl.com/2d7gx36
    

11. http://tinyurl.com/25heonq
    

12. http://tinyurl.com/265taz9
    

13. Rob Simpson
    

14. 
    

15. There is a full on video about them:                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksN7h-ZpFWc
    

16. Jon Cure
    

17. 
    

Modeling Sugar Beets

Alucema or Lavender Flowers

1. These are about the right size and color of dirty sugar beets in HO scale. These are packed by LUPAG.
   

2. Lou Mandeville
   

Anise

1. Try Anise seeds glued in place with white glue. The smell goes away after a while. In natural color they look the best, but don't get them in plastic bags in the Mexican Food section of your local grocery store. These ones seem to have too long a "tail." Get 'em in jars. They are expensive but worth it. Rough out the shape of the load out of a foam block then paint it black. Coat it with white glue sprinkling the seeds over the block installed in the car and tamp them down with a soft brush.
   

2. John R. Signor
   

1. We have two large sugar beet processing plants on separate HO layouts. We've looked at several different seeds and settled on Anise seeds for 2 reasons: 1. they are the closest scale wise to actual sugar beets, and 2. many seeds have a small "tail" which resembles the root on the beet. They are easy to paint, using several different colors which serves three purposes:1. gives them the (slightly random) correct color, 2. masks the slight licorice smell of the beets, and 3. reduces the "food appeal" for small critters which may be around.
   

2. Richard Wehr
   

Bulgar Wheat

1. A different approach is to use bulgar wheat  colored to a sugar beet color by mixing it with Bragdon Enterprises weathering powder. (The uncolored bulgar wheat is a much lighter color than sugar beets.)
   

2. 
   

3. Simply put the wheat and powder in a container and shake it. It doesn't take much powder to get a color similar to the anise seeds that John used.
   

Anise & Bulgar Wheat Combination

1. I use a mixture of about 30% anise seeds and 70% bulgur wheat. Put the anise seeds, bulgar wheat and a little dark brown weathering powder from Bragdon reddish-brown dry pigment into a jar with a lid and shake it to mix it all up. The color approximates the color of real beets. No need to add any liquid to "paint" the dry pigment to the seeds as the pigment adheres to the seeds and the wheat. The anise seeds and bulgar wheat provide a little variety in shape and the weathering powder makes the color a little darker. To me the darker color looks more like what I see in photos and what I recall from seeing loaded beet gons years ago. There's a  photo of my sugar beets here:  http://coastdaylight.com/mrr/1-11/sugar_beets.jpg
   

2. Jim Lancaster
   

3. 
   

4. I'm looking at a mix is that most seeds are too long or not triangular in shape, but a mix breaks up the uniform appearance. I plan to mix these with some steel cut rolled oats I saw the other day. The mix to knock a little more of the homogeneity of a single type of seed.
   

5. John Gillette
   

6. 
   

7. I have found the mix of seeds worked well for me.
   

8. Andrew Merriam
   

1. Fill the car to near the top with the wheat then add a top layer of 50% wheat and 50% anise seeds. This gives the load a little variation. The reason for not using the wheat/anise seed mixture for the whole load is the much higher cost of the anise seed.
   

Fenugreek Seeds

1. I have made sugar beet loads with fenugreek seeds. These are used in the cuisines of the Middle East and India. They are naturally irregular in shape, just as are real beets, and are a good size. The ones I have used are a medium brown, probably a little dark for sugar beets.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Sorgham

1. The very best model beets was sorghum for HO scale. There are many varieties, but the right one really looks like miniature beets, and even has that grayish-tan color. A visit to a pet shop might be very interesting: just have a look at all kinds of birdseed and make your choice.
   

Modeling Sugar Beets Loads

Chooch

1. Chooch makes two different Sugar Beet loads. The Chooch loads had a notch for the crossbar, The problem was that the weight rode too high raising the center of gravity. The chooch things just don't work with the braces.
   

2. Jon Cure
   

3. 
   

4. Red Caboose  - One is for the high side gons with composite sides and plywood extensions.
   

5. To add a load since there are three cross braces at the top of the extensions. The cross braces can be removed and easily re-glued if necessary.
   

6. Intermountain - Other one is for any other low side gondola that is carrying sugar beets. 
   

7. It’s recommend that when using a Red Caboose without the sides, use the load for the Intermountain cars. The load for the Red Caboose cars when used in a car without the extensions is just too much.
   

Sugar Beet Load Scratchbuild

1. I made rectangle form of styrene exactly the same size as the beet gon opening, then roughly shaped a styrofoam block for each car as an insert. Then glue the beet mix on top of the styrofoam block in the rectangular form. This allowed use of the diluted white glue without being anywhere near the cars. After drying, I oversprayed the beets mix with a light dusting of rail brown to get the color right and blend the mixture and dropped the loads into the gons. I have twenty of these cars and each load is subtly different.
   

2. Andrew Merriam
   

1. I made a core of pink foam shaped to fit the cavity of the car then sculpted the top into mounds. Painted it black then, with the block in the car, I applied wood glue and sprinkled anise seeds on top. Make several applications of seeds, and this makes it a permanent load. Shape the foam, build a false car side and build the load outside the real model car and place it in the car once it's dried for easy removal.
   

2. John R. Signor
   

How to model sugar beet loads:

                                                                            http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2014/08/modeling-sugar-beet-loads.html

Tony Thompson

Paint

Trucks

1. Prior to WW II, SP usually painted trucks black. After the war, they tended to paint everything body color, i.e. boxcar red on cars which had that color body. Numerous postwar builder photos show trucks the same color as the car body.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Underframes

1. Prior to WW II, SP usually painted underframes black. After the war, they tended to paint everything body color.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

3. 
   

S.P.  GS gons Lettering & Numbering

Microscale

1. Notice there is standard SOUTHERN PACIFIC lettering in addition to the stacked gothic style SP used in later years. The MS set also features lines that can be placed above and below the single-line SP lettering and car number and there are SP Sunset heralds without background along with a version featuring black backgrounds (these were dropped from SP gondolas by the 1960s, the same as found in Champ's SHS-144 set.
   

2. 
   

3. The MS set should also letter standard Espee GS gons from the 1950s before they received wood side extensions.
   

4. 
   

5. The old Champ SHS-144 set 1) features the standard way-too-thick Champ carrier film; and 2) suffers from what was described by someone else recently as the lettering style not exactly representing what SP used, more like a standard Roman or Clarendon, not correct for SP style lettering type.
   

6. 
   

7. Microscale's set also probably doesn't exactly follow correct SP lettering style either, but given that it features better color (the Champ set is an Antique whitish color), and also has a *much* thinner carrier film, this *should* be your preferred decal for use on Detail Associate and/or Red Caboose GS gondola kits if your modeling from ca. 1950 until the cars were retired from service.
   

8. Rob Sarberenyi
   

9. 
   

10. Microscale decals doesn’t have trust stencil. These were found on the steel cars when new. Also it's
    

11. hard to make out but USGX marks were sometimes solid letters, and sometimes done as stencils with breaks in the letters. Only one style is used in the set.
    

1. Microscale has recently released a couple new decal sets of interest to Espee freight car modelers in HO and N scales -- same part number with an "87" prefix for HO, and "60" for N:
   

2. 
   

3. Set #1310 Southern Pacific & Cotton Belt Gondolas (1960+)  http://tinyurl.com/MS-1310
   

4. 
   

5. 
   

6. This set covers many different classes of gondolas from 42' up to 65' gons.
   

7. 
   

8. Set #1314 SP 40' Composite Beet Rack Gondolas 1950+ and USGX 1970+  http://tinyurl.com/GS-Gons
   

9. 
   

10. What's nice about set #1314 is that it replaces the old HO scale Champ Super Set SHS-144 for Espee GS-class gondolas. BTW, the Champ set has been unavailable for years. If you wanted to letter GS gondolas from Detail Associates or Red Caboose, or were lucky to have any of the old Ulrich metal GS gondola kits, and didn't have the Champ decal set, you were pretty much out-of-luck... until now! Besides, Microscale's decal film is *significantly" thinner than Champ's, making the MS set most welcome.
    

11. 
    

12. You'll find a listing of Microscale's available SP decals in various scales here:  http://tinyurl.com/Microscale-SP-decals
    

13. Rob Sarberenyi
    

1. Microscale's 87-1314 set intended for the SP 40’ Composite Beet Rack Gondolas 1950+ cars has some shortcomings.
   

2. Arved Grass
   

3. 
   

4. The Microscale decals are NOT a replacement for Champ's excellent SHS-144. The Microscale set was designed strictly as a way to decorate post-1962 sugar beet gondolas. It is missing a number of stencils present on GS gondolas lettered prior to 1962. The logo on 87-1314 is 36" in diameter, while the lettering diagrams in Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars shows 30" for the cars before side extensions were applied.
   

5. 
   

6. A major tip off for ANY decals is the combined LD LMT + LT WT. These combinations changed in 1962 as follows:
   

7. 
   

8. Journal pre-1962 post-1962
   

9. Size Capy GRL Capy GRL
   

10. 
    

11. 5 1/2" x 10" 100 169 110 177 " 50 ton"
    

12. 6" x 11" 140 210 154 220 " 70 ton"
    

13. 6 1/2" x 12" 200 251 200 263 "100 ton"
    

14. 
    

15. In other words a "50 ton" car would have LD LMT + LT WT = 169000 prior to 1962, and this would be 177000 after 1962 to the present time.
    

16. 
    

17. Some of the LD LMT + LT WT numbers in 87-1314 make no sense at all - They do not conform to any of the above numbers nor do they match any photos.
    

18. 
    

19. HOWEVER -- Microscale 87-1314 is a very good source for the large gothic roadname "Southern Pacific" stencil that was applied to high-side GS gondolas. Remember the SP used GS gondolas in woodchip, log, scrap, lumber, and pipe service as well as sugar beets. And 1314 is a good source for 36" round emblems. So this set is very useful to supplement Champ SHS-144, which otherwise required Champ HH-212 for the billboard roadname stencils and HH-144 for extra 36" emblems. And 87-1314 has lots of extra roadname and number stencils too for general SP use. Microscale lettering is much BRIGHTER than Champ lettering, so be careful mixing Champ and Microscale together.
    

20. Tim O'Connor
    

Foothill Model Works

1. For the steel cupola hack, use lettering from Foothill Model Works steam loco decals, 8" lettering. The spacing fit over the windows correctly when compared to the photo of SP #1078, whereas the MS set was way off.
   

Champ

1. Champ used a generic "Railroad Roman" lettering which has the right look, and certainly it can serve. The biggest shortcoming is the numerals, several of which are distinctly different from the SP
   

2. numerals. The class lettering SHOULD be 2 inches high. I have some of the Champ BRH-212 sets, the Champ BH-202 sets. The two Champ sets have different lettering (the letter height is the same but the letter spacing is different) and build date lettering is different sizes between the two sets.
   

3. 
   

4. The Champ BRH set you refer to is marginally all right but: 1) Champ is very inconsistent with its numeral style. Most of what they print does not match the SP's proprietary "Roman" version for freight rolling stock (which is different from passenger cars and locomotives, strangely enough). 2) Champ uses an off-white ink which doesn't blend well with other makers' decals.
   

5. Kevin Bunker
   

6. 
   

7. The Champ SHS-144 sets are comprehensive, but require you to buy additional HH-144 and HH-212 sets to do several cars. There aren’t any issues with the SHS-144 sets. There are numerous problems with some of the Microscale SP/PFE lettering sets. The Champ sets cover many GS gondolas, not just beet cars or the largely ignored wood chip versions used extensively in Oregon and Texas/Louisiana.
   

8. Tim O'Connor
   

9. 
   

10. The Champ font is not Clarendon, but it is similar to the SP lettering. Champ's Roman lettering passes that test, whereas MS PFE lettering, for example, very certainly does not. The biggest failure in the Champ sets for SP lettering is the numerals, several of which are QUITE wrong.
    

11. Tony Thompson
    

12. 
    

13. Comparing the PFE Roman Lettering in Champ and Microscale sets to PFE photos, Champ (SHS-190) is better. Both of them are better than the terrible stuff that came with the Sunshine PFE reefers.
    

14. 
    

15. To live with thick film,  trim your decals very close so there is very little border. Microscale's thin film is easier to hide and using them takes less time. The brightness of Microscale white lettering is great for new cars, but is problematic with older, weathered cars. Bottom line: I will use both Champ and Microscale as the situation demands.
    

16. Tim O'Connor
    

17. 
    

Champs  

1. Use sets of Champ SHS-144, the "Super Set", to cover the beet gondola or GS (can also use extra decals for reweighing symbols and dates, repacking data, equipment notations) draft gear and wheels, trust equipment stencils; class numbers; can use on flat cars. Get a few sets of SP heralds, and some sets for GS gondolas.  
   

1. The Champ set has data for from 2 to 5 gondolas depending on how strict you are about the accuracy and style of items such as dimensional stencils, capacity stencils, etc. And of course it applies to many different classes of GS gondola including the larger steel 70 ton cars built in the 1950's. You can definitely model 2 completely accurate 50 ton GS gondolas as they were delivered from the factory.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

3. 
   

4. 
   

Specific Gondola Cars

G-40-1 Gondolas

1. SP received 200 such cars, 54720-54919.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg . 68
   

2. 
   

3. 
   

G-50-1 Gondolas

1. Those cars had uneven rib spacing. SP received 50 such cars, 90402-90451.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 70
   

2. 
   

G-50-2 Gondolas

1. With unequal panel sizes.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 70-71
   

2. 
   

G-50-3 Gondolas

1. Trucks had T-section cast steel frames. It had longitudinally hinged doors, four on each side.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 72-73
   

2. 
   

G-50-6 Gondolas

    SP #53730-53929

    Used for garbage service at one point. Some carried the mineral trona from which soda ash is produced.

    The side stakes are made from I (or H) shaped rolled sections, with a constant cross section from top to bottom.

    Mike Calvert

Lettering & Numbering

1. Cars used to carry trona returned to the California city of the same name.
   

2. Cars were labeled “WHEN EMPTY RETURN TO TRONA”.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 78
   

2. 
   

G-50-9 GS Gondolas

1. The G-50-9 cars had a square operating rod. They had the same Enterprise door links.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

3. 
   

4. The square "rod" on the car scales a bit over 6 inches. It looks wrong unless SP modified them with ductwork to suck out the sand. When the doors are open the links are straightened out and when the doors are closed the links wrap around the rod.
   

5. 
   

6. Looking at detailed photos of a G-50-9 and a later car, as well as drawings from the Cyclopedia, and while both mechanisms were manufactured by Enterprise and operated on the same principle, they do not look alike.
   

Details

Brakes

1. SPFC Vol. 1 shows all the G-50-9/-10/-11 classes having vertical brake wheels.
   

Trucks

1. They came with T-section Bettendorf trucks. During the 1940s SP began replacing these sideframes, usually saving the bolsters.
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 107

Reference

1. Photos are quite rare. One of the few photo "glimpses" is on page 206 of the Caboose volume.
   

2. Tony Thompson 
   

Modeling G-50-9

Ulrich

1. The G-50-9 cars had a square operating rod, somewhat oversized in the Ulrich model (though not extremely so). The rods are about 1 1/4 inch or so. Ulrich was trying to copy with those squares of metal. You'ld have a hard time cutting all that pot metal off and drilling thru the ribs for new wire rods, these cars are better enjoyed as relics from modelings back pages.
   

2. 
   

3. The Ulrich model has a very crude rendition of the door opening mechanism, but the "rods and links" like the Enterprise mechanism was applied to the later cars. The mechanism used on the G-50-9 (the Ulrich car) was of a different style and vintage.
   

4. 
   

5. You can't see the "links" per se in the folded up position on the G-50-9, but the "anchor" (for lack of a better word) that is so visible on the outside on the Ulrich model, looks very different than the attachment to the round rod on the later cars. One could not simply substitute DA parts and a square rod to superdetail the Ulrich model.
   

6. 
   

7. As clearly shown in my gondola volume, the links themselves as well as the operating rods differed. The linkage did operate on the same principle and is actually pretty similar in close-up photos though not identical.
   

8. Tony Thompson 
   

9. 
   

10. The actual rods were 2 inches square, as shown in the gondola book. The Ulrich rods and links are indeed oversize, but in proportion. Look at a prototype photo of one of the cars and compare the model. There's no alternative.
    

11. Tony Thompson
    

12. 
    

13. Repaint and re-letter. Add brake rigging and piping. Add Dalman trucks from Tahoe Modeling.
    

14. Tony Thompson
    

Tahoe Model Works Trucks

1. The prototype for Tahoe Model Works' 109/209 "Barber Lateral Motion" HO truck is one of these replacement side frames.
   

2. 
   

3. 
   

G-50-10 GS Gondolas

1. SP #91400-92399
   

Details

Brakes

1. SPFC Vol. 1 shows all the G-50-9/-10/-11 classes having vertical brake wheels.
   

Trucks

1. They came with T-section Bettendorf trucks. During the 1940s SP began replacing these sideframes, usually saving the bolsters.
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 107

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 94
   

Modeling G-50-10

Ulrich

Tahoe Model Works Trucks

1. The prototype for Tahoe Model Works' 109/209 "Barber Lateral Motion" HO truck is one of these replacement side frames.
   

2. 
   

3. 
   

G-50-11 GS Gondolas

1. SP #92400-92899 drop bottom design
   

Details

Brakes

1. SPFC Vol. 1 shows all the G-50-9/-10/-11 classes having vertical brake wheels.
   

Trucks

1. They came with T-section Bettendorf trucks. During the 1940s SP began replacing these sideframes, usually saving the bolsters.
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 107

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 98
   

Modeling G-50-11

Ulrich

Tahoe Model Works Trucks

1. The prototype for Tahoe Model Works' 109/209 "Barber Lateral Motion" HO truck is one of these replacement side frames.
   

2. 
   

G-50-12 GS Gondolas

1. SP #92900-93899   renumbered to #263477-363024 in 1956.
   

2. 
   

3. These were if the drop bottom design.
   

4. First 500 had ASF Dalman trucks. Last 500 had Bettendorf Dalman trucks.
   

5. 
   

6. The G-50-12 cars had a square operating rod. The later cars had round rods which look smaller because they have the same cross-section but are round. They had the same Enterprise door links.
   

7. Tony Thompson
   

8. 
   

9. As the fleet depleted (from 1000 cars originally built, to 634 by 1955, SP evidently reused some of these numbers for other cars.
   

10. Arved Grass
    

11. 
    

12. Fifty-six G-50-11 and one hundred and twenty-four G-50-12 were modified ca. 1939 from AAR class GS to HD by adding internal slope sheets resulting in the reduction in capacity from 1776 to 1056 cu ft. No renumbering of any cars occurred.
    

13. Bob Sagers
    

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 107

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 98
   

Modeling G-50-12

Ulrich

1. The G-50-12 cars had a square operating rod, somewhat oversized in the Ulrich model (though not extremely so). The rods are about 1 1/4 inch or so. Ulrich was trying to copy with those squares of metal. You'ld have a hard time cutting all that pot metal off and drilling thru the ribs for new wire rods, these cars are better enjoyed as relics from modeling back pages.
   

2. 
   

3. The Ulrich model has a very crude rendition of the door opening mechanism, but the "rods and links" like the Enterprise mechanism was applied to the later cars. The actual rods were 2 inches square, as shown in the gondola book. The Ulrich rods and links are indeed oversize, but in proportion. Look at a prototype photo of one of the cars and compare the model. There's no alternative.
   

4. Tony Thompson
   

Details

Trucks

1. Add Dalman trucks from Tahoe Model Works 102/202 truck.
   

Under Carriage

1. Add brake rigging and piping.
   

Paint

1. Repaint.
   

Lettering & Numbering

Decals   

1. Champs SHS-144 for GS can also use extra decals for reweighing symbols and dates, repacking data, equipment notations - draft gear and wheels, trust equipment stencils; class numbers; can use on flat cars.
   

2. 
   

3. 
   

G-50-13 GB Gondolas (Mill)

1. 48’ long inside. Solid bottom gondola. Dreadnaught drop ends and wood floors.
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 115

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 109-113
   

Modeling G-50-13

Athearn

1. Use as a stand-in model.
   

Speedswitch

1. The gondola is a very accurate SP G-50-13, which is not a car you can get any other way.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Ulrich

1. 
   

2. 
   

G-50-14 GB Gondolas

1. 50 feet long, solid bottom
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                             SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 115

References

1.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 114
   

Modeling G-50-14

Athearn

1. Use as a stand-in model.
   

2. 
   

3. 
   

G-50-15 GS Gondola

    SP #94500-95199

1. The G-50-15 had plate end with steel sides.
   

2. Side extensions were added to a FEW steel cars, primarily G-50-15, for WOOD CHIPS, not for beets.
   

3. Tony Thompson
   

References

                                                                           SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 124, 153

Modeling G-50-15

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

1. Use Champ's SHS-144, the "Super Set" Champ did for SP GS gondola classes G-50-15.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

3. 
   

4. 
   

G-50-16 GS Gondola

    SP #95200-95499

    Original Dreadnaught ends, Barber S-2 trucks, Equipco hand brake.

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 126
   

Drawing

                                                                          Trainline, No. 115, pg. 33

Modeling G-50-16

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

1. Use Champ's SHS-144, the "Super Set" Champ did for SP GS gondola classes G-50-16.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

3. 
   

4. 
   

G-50-17 GS Gondola

    T&NO #

    War time cars.

Trucks

1. The trucks used on the G-50-17 gondolas were "AAR Double Truss with Spring Planks", SP drawing number CF-32556-A. This same truck, also made by Scullin, was used on the first 250 A-50-14 auto cars.
   

Hand brakes

1. Heres a picture of a Klasing hand brake:                http://www.trainweb.org/nwrp/brks/brks.htm
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg.
   

2. For photos, see Tony's volume 3, pages 114 and 115, car #65024 and 65094.
   

3. For the complete list of other SP cars using this truck design, see the truck section in our Society's "Southern Pacific Car Roster".
   

Modeling G-50-17

Funaro & Camerlango

    Add Detail Associates ends for later class.

Trucks

Proto 2000

1. The Proto 2000 50 ton solid bearing, plankless truck is a model of a 1950 Scullin.
   

Hand brakes

1. No one makes an HO Klasing brake wheel of 1940's vintage. Klasings had a center disk with 8 large cutouts and 8 small cutouts, and then 8 spiral spokes to the outer rim.
   

2. 
   

3. Moloco does make a Klasing model 1500 brake housing, which is good for this era. The closest stand-in probably is the Kadee Equipco wheel, which has 6 spiral spokes.
   

4. Tim O'Connor
   

5. 
   

G-50-18 GS Gondola

    SP # 89854-90403

   Came with reverse dreadnaught ends, and Ajax hand brake.

1. It had 1-W wheels
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 129, 150, 153
   

Drawing

                                                                          Trainline, No. 115, pg. 33

Modeling G-50-18

Detail Associates

Red Caboose

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

1. Use Champ's SHS-144, the "Super Set" Champ did for SP GS gondola classes G-50-18.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

3. 
   

4. 
   

G-50-20 Gondolas (Beet Service)

1. SP #56330-57239
   

2. 
   

3. Composite drop-bottom gondola 1948 design, 1500 cars built. G-50-20 are mainly distinguished by reverse Dreadnaughts ends.
   

4. Also has sugar beet extensions from 359000 series.
   

1. As pointed out both in Trainline no. 69, to which I contributed, and in my SP Freight Cars Vol. 1 on gondolas, the first beet extensions were in the spring of 1957. But before that, the composite GS gondolas without extensions were used for beets, right from their delivery in 1948. Prior to the arrival of the Class G-50-20 composite GS gondolas in 1948, SP moved its sugar beet traffic in Blackburn patent beet racks temporarily attached to flat cars.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

3. 
   

   You could see the old wooden cars mixed with the ‘new' Steel cars for a while. They didn't die instantly.

   Jon C.

1. It used A-3 ride control, 1-W wheels.
   

1. The plain bearing trucks did indeed survive throughout the life of the cars, in later years only because the cars did not go offline from the SP.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. G-50-20 cars were delivered with the long since obsolete "S.P." reporting marks in the middle of the era when the spelled out "Southern Pacific" was standard.
   

2. 
   

3. 1. When the single air date stenciled on the air res. became two date stencils (CO&TS and air date) per Interchange Rule 60.
   

4. 2. When the simple "RPKD 00-00 SP ROS" stencil in two lines was replaced by the white outlined black box stencil and the dates    
   

5. that this was modified-I know of at least two variations.
   

6. 3. Light weights of cars with 5 board and plywood extensions from pix.
   

1. Wording on the sides of SP Sugar Beet cars painted in the mid-1950s (these would have the circular "Southern Pacific Lines" emblem). Most specifically, in the middle of the car is a notice in white text that says "Clamshells & other mechanical unloading devices that will damage car not to be used in removing lading from this car".
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 154-156
   

Drawing

                                                                          Trainline, No. 115, pg. 30

Modeling G-50-20

1. Note there was a much greater variety of side extensions than model kits offer. You’ll need a good batch of USGX beet gons with plywood sides and a sprinkle of SP Gons with board sides.
   

Detail Associates

1. The RC and DA GS gondolas are exactly the same cars. Both RC and DA produced all-steel and composite cars, and both plywood and board side extensions. The G-50-23 is what was modeled. And having that end molded, the steel cars modeled were the G-50-22 cars, which also had the "improved" Dreadnaught end. Lotsa work but quite worth it. The kit was designed for DA by Bob Dengler and Clyde King, both of whom were mechanical draftsmen by trade.
   

2. 
   

3. You’ll spend two evenings on them and basically use no tools other than an X-acto, glue and a pair of pliers. Maybe a file too.
   

4. 
   

5. Redo the ladders in fine scale brass does wonders for them too. Use Special Shapes 1/32" angle(stock number 91011), drill #79 holes spaced the proper distances (a vertical milling machine is the trick here)and solder 1/2" scale brass wire for the rungs (and a "jig" for angle placement is the trick here). The end result is more "fine" than most styrene ladders offered in kits (for example, look at Intermountains' PS 4750s...'course no SP or SSW cars there) and being slightly undersize enables paint thickness to bring it back up to scale width IMHO. And of course brass ladders are much more resilient than styrene (or other plastics). A bit of work but worth it. No super detailed shots showing ladders, but Mr. Caron has a few shots of my rolling stock taken at the 2005 BAPM, pictures 5440-5443.                                                       
   

6. 
   

7. Regarding DA producing more of GS gondola kits (they've been out of production for many years). You won’t see them offered by DA again. According to them, not enough people purchased the kits to make continued production worthwhile.
   

8. Rob Sarberenyi
   

1. Detail Associates HO Sugar beet Gondola Kit is a superbly accurate kit, and builds into an unequaled model of this prototype. It does suffer from being practically weightless when completed, so either you use weighted loads, or, if you're like me and run cars empty as well as loaded, hide as much lead sheet underneath the floor as you can fit in. This CAN bring a car up to a usable weight.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

1. If you get serious about building some of the DA kits, do them in groups. There’s a lot of waiting for glue to dry so set up a short "assembly line" and did three at a time. By the time you have fit and glued a given part in the third one the first is ready to be worked on again.
   

2. Jim Pattison
   

Precision Scale

1. They did them in HO brass.
   

Red Caboose

1. They have been re-releasing them every so often for a few years now. The RC and DA GS gondolas are exactly the same cars. Both RC and DA produced all-steel and composite cars, and both plywood and board side extensions.
   

2. 
   

3. RC missed an opportunity to give us different G-50-20's by doing a reverse dreadnaught end. RC did a second style end, but it was the S-corner end preferred by the UP.
   

Paint

1. Both Star Brand and Tru-Color have a very good SP "Mineral Red" color.
   

1. Paint your models with a lightened version of Star Brands 1-STR-30 S.P./U.P. Freight Car Red Paint. Add a minimum of 20% white to compensate for "scale effect." Read more here: http://www.paintassistant.com/scalelighting.html
   

2. Arved Grass
   

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

Champ's

1. Use Champ's SHS-144, the "Super Set" Champ did for SP GS gondola classes G-50-20.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

Microscale's

1. Microscale's 87-1314 set intended for the SP 40’ Composite Beet Rack Gondolas 1950+ cars has some shortcomings.
   

2. Arved Grass
   

3. 
   

4. The Microscale decals are NOT a replacement for Champ's excellent SHS-144. The Microscale set was designed strictly as a way to decorate post-1962 sugar beet gondolas. It is missing a number of stencils present on GS gondolas lettered prior to 1962.
   

5. 
   

G-50-22 GS Gondolas

    SP #151000-152649

1. G-50-22 with improved dreadnought ends with steel side. 40’ long.
   

2. 
   

3. The first 615 cars received side extensions in the spring of 1957 (only 2 feet high). In 1959, all extensions were increased to 4 feet. A second batch of 400 cars was done in 1959 with another 150 added in 1962. The last group of 450 cars was done in 1964.                                                                    (*see T-69)
   

1. The wooden gons were banned from the rails because their trucks were friction bearing. The FRA ruling on the solid bearings (not "friction" bearings, Jason) was dated January 1, 1994. (The cars were sent for scrap). SP then picked up a mish mosh of second hand high-capacity steel hoppers and converted them for sugar beet service. Some got a screen-like extension on top so they could hold more beets. These are the cars still being used today.
   

2. 
   

3. The ruling did not BAN solid bearings, either. It simply proscribed the free interchange of cars with solid bearings. There are still solid bearing trucked cars in service, and even in interchange, where there is a mutual agreement to handle them.
   

4. 
   

5. The S.P. did not extend the sides of these cars for Beet Service and G-50-22‘s were not used in beet service.
   

6. I know better, in speaking of the SP, never to say "never", but I would think only in times of serious car shortage, The same is true of the other steel GS cars.
   

7. Tony Thompson
   

1. It used A-3 ride control, 1-W wheels.
   

Paint

1. The color the builder (Bethlehem) painted the underframe was SP freight car red, including trucks. Couplers and wheels were not painted although overspray was common in that era.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. SP numbers were transferred into Union Sugar (USGX ) numbers. They were in the 358xxx thru 359xxx series; and the 358xxx series were mostly the extended planked versions while the 359xxx series had extended plywood versions. What USGX cars that retained the ACI plates on the side, listed the original SP number on it. The three are at FRRS/Portola renumbered into the SP series.
   

References

1.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 127-129
   

2. For excellent shot of SP sugar beet car (*see MR 10/96, pg. 97)
   

3.                                                                          (*see MM 2/84, 6/91)
   

Drawing

                                                                          Trainline, No. 115, pg. 33

Modeling G-50-22

Red Caboose

1. Steel Side G50-22 from Red Caboose. After putting loads in them, the doors don't operate. It is very difficult to get the operating doors on the GS Gondola to shut without leaving a visible gap in the floor around the door edges.
   

Detail Associates

1. The RC and DA GS gondolas are exactly the same cars. Both RC and DA produced all-steel and composite cars, and both plywood and board side extensions. Having that end molded, the steel cars modeled were the G-50-22 cars, which also had the "improved" Dreadnaught end. Lotsa work but quite worth it.
   

2. 
   

3. You’ll spend two evenings on them and basically use no tools other than an X-acto, glue and a pair of pliers. Maybe a file too.
   

4. 
   

5. Redo the ladders in fine scale brass does wonders for them too. Use Special Shapes 1/32" angle(stock number 91011), drill #79 holes spaced the proper distances (a vertical milling machine is the trick here)and solder 1/2" scale brass wire for the rungs (and a "jig" for angle placement is the trick here). The end result is more "fine" than most styrene ladders offered in kits. Brass ladders are much more resilient than styrene (or other plastics). A bit of work but worth it.
   

6. 
   

7. The DA gondola kits are no longer available and they'll probably not be rerun, so whatever stock your local shop has left, that's gonna be it. Hardly anyone builds the HO scale kits, having instead gone to the Red Caboose car instead. 
   

1. Detail Associates HO Sugar beet Gondola Kit is a superbly accurate kit, and builds into an unequaled model of this prototype. It does suffer from being practically weightless when completed, so either you use weighted loads, or, if you're like me and run cars empty as well as loaded, hide as much lead sheet underneath the floor as you can fit in. This CAN bring a car up to a usable weight.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

References

1. Not super detailed shots showing ladders, but Mr. Caron has a few shots of the rolling stock taken at the 2005 BAPM, pictures 5440-5443.        
   

Trucks

1. The ASF A-3 is the right truck and there are a lot of makers of this truck, including Kato.  
   

Paint

1. Both Star Brand and Tru-Color have a very good SP "Mineral Red" color.   
   

2. 
   

3. Paint your models with a lightened version of Star Brands 1-STR-30 S.P./U.P. Freight Car Red Paint. Add a minimum of 20% white to compensate for "scale effect." Read more here: http://www.paintassistant.com/scalelighting.html
   

4. Arved Grass                                       
   

Lettering & Numbering

Decals   

Champs  

1. Use sets of Champ SHS-144, the "Super Set", to cover the beet gondola or GS (can also use extra decals for reweighing symbols and dates, repacking data, equipment notations) draft gear and wheels, trust equipment stencils; class numbers; can use on flat cars. Get a few sets of SP heralds, and some sets for GS gondolas.  
   

1. The Champ set has data for from 2 to 5 gondolas depending on how strict you are about the accuracy and style of items such as dimensional stencils, capacity stencils, etc. And of course it applies to many different classes of GS gondola including the larger steel 70 ton cars built in the 1950's. You can definitely model 2 completely accurate 50 ton GS gondolas as they were delivered from the factory.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

Microscale

1. Microscale's 87-1314 set intended for the SP 40’ Composite Beet Rack Gondolas 1950+ cars has some shortcomings.
   

2. Arved Grass
   

3. 
   

4. The Microscale decals are NOT a replacement for Champ's excellent SHS-144. The Microscale set was designed strictly as a way to decorate post-1962 sugar beet gondolas. It is missing a number of stencils present on GS gondolas lettered prior to 1962.
   

5. 
   

6. A major tip off for ANY decals is the combined LD LMT + LT WT. These combinations changed in 1962 as follows:
   

7. 
   

8. Journal pre-1962 post-1962
   

9. Size Capy GRL Capy GRL
   

10. 
    

11. 5 1/2" x 10" 100 169 110 177 " 50 ton"
    

12. 6" x 11" 140 210 154 220 " 70 ton"
    

13. 6 1/2" x 12" 200 251 200 263 "100 ton"
    

14. 
    

15. In other words a "50 ton" car would have LD LMT + LT WT = 169000 prior to 1962, and this would be 177000 after 1962 to the present time.
    

16. 
    

17. Some of the LD LMT + LT WT numbers in 87-1314 make no sense at all - They do not conform to any of the above numbers nor do they match any photos.
    

18. 
    

19. HOWEVER -- Microscale 87-1314 is a very good source for the large gothic roadname "Southern Pacific" stencil that was applied to high-side GS gondolas. Remember the SP used GS gondolas in woodchip, log, scrap, lumber, and pipe service as well as sugar beets. And 1314 is a good source for 36" round emblems. So this set is very useful to supplement Champ SHS-144, which otherwise required Champ HH-212 for the billboard roadname stencils and HH-144 for extra 36" emblems. And 87-1314 has lots of extra roadname and number stencils too for general SP use. Microscale lettering is much BRIGHTER than Champ lettering, so be careful mixing Champ and Microscale together.
    

20. Tim O'Connor
    

1. 
   

2. 
   

G-50-23 GS Gondolas (Beet Service)

    SP #150000-150999

1. Improved dreadnought ends make them G-50-23's. The ones done with extended sides were properly lettered G-50-23. The different classes of steel cars are a challenge because each class has a different end, though the rest of the body was the same.
   

1. It used 1-W wheels conv. type spring plankless trucks.
   

2. As pointed out both in Trainline no. 69, to which I contributed, and in my SP Freight Cars Vol. 1 on gondolas, the first beet extensions were in the spring of 1957. But before that, the composite GS gondolas without extensions were used for beets, right from their delivery in 1948.
   

3. Tony Thompson
   

1. There were, by 1960, about 1600 sugar beet cars, with extension height limited to 9 feet inside. There were about 900 wood-chip gons with extensions, initially of 10-ft. inside height but in later years a number of them were raised to 12 feet. The -23 cars DID get heavily converted for sugar beets.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Other Uses of Beet Gons

1. In the Bay Area, high sided gons being used at the Del Monte packing plant in San Leandro for damaged/scrap can use. A beet gon would be spotted under a moveable conveyor and the damaged cans would trickle out of the plant all day, falling into the car until it was filled.
   

2. Mark Acuna
   

3. 
   

4. Beet gons could be used for wood chips, their extensions being lower than the wood chip cars; but the converse was at most rare, and certainly a bad idea.
   

5. Tony Thompson
   

1. In the early sixties, SP used a small fleet of beet gons to transport lemons from the fields to the factories.
   

2. Wesley Fox
   

Details

Trucks

1. These cars had Barber S-2-A style trucks.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. 1. When the single air date stenciled on the air res. became two date stencils (CO&TS and air date) per Interchange Rule 60.
   

2. 2.  When the simple "RPKD 00-00 SP ROS" stencil in two lines was replaced by the white outlined black box stencil and the dates that this was modified-I know of at least two variations.
   

3. 3.  Light weights of cars with 5 board and plywood extensions from pix.
   

References

1.                                                                          SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 131-132, 138
   

Modeling G-50-23

1. Note there was a much greater variety of side extensions than model kits offer. You’ll need a good batch of USGX beet gons with plywood sides and a sprinkle of SP Gons with board sides.
   

Red Caboose

1. Composite Side G-50-23's from Red Caboose. After putting loads in them, the doors don't operate. It is very difficult to get the operating doors on the GS Gondola to shut without leaving a visible gap in the floor around the door edges.
   

1. The original Red Caboose trucks were Barber S-2-A and they're pretty good (if you replace the wheels) but the Branchline S-2-A is even better. Tahoe makes an S-2-A0 (earlier version?).
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

Detail Associates

1. The RC and DA GS gondolas are exactly the same cars. Both RC and DA produced all-steel and composite cars, and both plywood and board side extensions. The G-50-23 is what was modeled. And having that end molded, the steel cars modeled were the G-50-22 cars, which also had the "improved" Dreadnaught end. Lotsa work but quite worth it. The kit was designed for DA by Bob Dengler and Clyde King, both of whom were mechanical draftsmen by trade.
   

2. 
   

3. Regarding DA producing more of GS gondola kits (they've been out of production for many years). You won’t see them offered by DA again. According to them, not enough people purchased the kits to make continued production worthwhile.
   

4. Rob Sarberenyi
   

5. 
   

6. You’ll spend two evenings on them and basically use no tools other than an X-acto, glue and a pair of pliers. Maybe a file too.
   

7. 
   

8. Redo the ladders in fine scale brass does wonders for them too. Use Special Shapes 1/32" angle(stock number 91011), drill #79 holes spaced the proper distances (a vertical milling machine is the trick here)and solder 1/2" scale brass wire for the rungs (and a "jig" for angle placement is the trick here). The end result is more "fine" than most styrene ladders offered in kits. Brass ladders are much more resilient than styrene (or other plastics). A bit of work but worth it. These model are very light, add weight.
   

1. Detail Associates HO Sugar beet Gondola Kit is a superbly accurate kit, and builds into an unequaled model of this prototype. It does suffer from being practically weightless when completed, so either you use weighted loads, or, if you're like me and run cars empty as well as loaded, hide as much lead sheet underneath the floor as you can fit in. This CAN bring a car up to a usable weight.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

1. The DA gondola kits are no longer available and they'll probably not be rerun, so whatever stock your local shop has left, that's gonna be it. Hardly anyone builds the HO scale kits, having instead gone to the Red Caboose car instead. 
   

References

1. Not super detailed shots showing ladders, but Mr. Caron has a few shots of the rolling stock taken at the 2005 BAPM, pictures 5440-5443.     
   

Paint

1. Both Star Brand and Tru-Color have a very good SP "Mineral Red" color.     
   

2. 
   

3. Paint your models with a lightened version of Star Brands 1-STR-30 S.P./U.P. Freight Car Red Paint. Add a minimum of 20% white to compensate for "scale effect." Read more here: http://www.paintassistant.com/scalelighting.html
   

4. Arved Grass                                             
   

Lettering & Numbering

Decals   

Champs  

1. Use sets of Champ SHS-144 to cover the beet gondola or GS (can also use extra decals for reweighing symbols and dates, repacking data, equipment notations - draft gear and wheels, trust equipment stencils; class numbers; can use on flat cars. Get a few sets of SP heralds, and some sets for GS gondolas. 
   

1. The Champ set covers the pre-extension GS cars, both wood and steel.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Microscale #1314

1. Microscale's 87-1314 set intended for the SP 40’ Composite Beet Rack Gondolas 1950+ cars has some shortcomings.
   

2. Arved Grass
   

3. 
   

4. There are *several* new sets of MS decals for SP equipment, including #1314 for GS and beet gondolas (no need anymore for the old Champ sets), along with other gon and box car sets.
   

5.                                                                         http://tinyurl.com/yzhy7mw
   

6. 
   

7. These are for the beet gons with extensions (which, contrary to what MS says, were NOT in existence in 1950, very few, in fact, prior to 1957). Microscale is also inconsistent with its numerals, and slips into using the Clarendon font for SP rolling stock. This is also not correct, but at least their ink color is a bright white that's more easily adjusted when it comes to weathering or blending with other companies' decals.
   

8. 
   

9. The Microscale decals are NOT a replacement for Champ's excellent SHS-144. The Microscale set was designed strictly as a way to decorate post-1962 sugar beet gondolas. It is missing a number of stencils present on GS gondolas lettered prior to 1962.
   

10. 
    

G-50-25 GB Gondola

    SP #160650-161049

1. It used Barber S-2-A-0 trucks with "ride control" wedges.
   

Paint

1. A photo of the car in as-built paint is on page 215 of Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars. Careful examination of the builder photo shows the G-50-25 cars were NOT painted black as built. The SP emblem definitely has a black background which differs from the tone of the body color. The color was BCR.
   

2. 
   

3. A photo of the car after it had been repainted is at the top of page 218, noting that car had been repainted at Los Angeles General Shops in June, 1957.
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. Post-1956 renumbering was after the large gothic Southern Pacific was added to it's side. A photo of the car after it had been renumbered is reproduced in SPFC Vol 1 at the top of page 218.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 221
   

Modeling G-50-25

Tyco

    Use as a stand in. The ends are wrong. And the rib spacing is uneven.

Branchline Trucks

1. Use Branchline trucks.
   

Tahoe Trucks

1. For Class G-50-25, the trucks were from various manufacturers, all Barber S-2-A0 designs built under license. The Tahoe Barber truck would be fine for this.
   

Paint

1. Both Star Brand and Tru-Color have a very good SP "Mineral Red" color.
   

2. 
   

G-50-27 GS Gondola

    SP #152650-153099

1. It used Barber S-2-A-0 trucks.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 142
   

Drawing

                                                                          Trainline, No. 115, pg. 33

Modeling G-50-27

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

1. Use Champ's SHS-144, the "Super Set" Champ did for SP GS gondola classes G-50-27.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

3. 
   

4. 
   

G-50-28 GS Gondola

    SP #366673-367172

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 143
   

2. 
   

G-70-2 GB Gondola

    SP #94250- 94264  blt  1941   ?

    70t drop-end mill gondolas.

1. 65' long 
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 201

References

1.                                                                       Train Shed Cyc #70 p.225 1941 builder photo G-70-2 SP #94250   
   

2.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 116-121   
   

3. 
   

G-70-4 GB Gondola

1. 70t drop-end mill gondolas, reverse dreadnaught type end
   

2. 65' long.
   

3.         series  94265- 94304          blt 1942
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                             SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 201

References

1.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 122
   

2. 
   

G-70-6 GB Gondola

    SP #160000-160099

    70t drop-end mill gondolas

   Solid bottom STEEL floor, Barber S-2-A trucks

1. 65' long.
   

Paint

1. Class, G-70-6 of 1950, were clearly BCR with black emblem backgrounds.
   

Lettering & Numbering

    Over 3000 received the new 6 digit numbers in the 1956 renumbering. Most were in the standard pacific lettering.

    For a lettering diagram see:                             SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 201

References

1.                                                                        Car Builder Cyc 1953 p.157 photo
   

2.                                                                        SPH&TS Trainline #25 p.3
   

3.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 200
   

Modeling G-70-6

Lettering & Numbering

Decals

    Champ road name set (HN-32) and gondola data (HD-6) for pre-1956 lettering.

          (*see RMJ 3/00, pg. 19)

G-70-7 GB Gondola

    SP #160100-160149

Paint

1. The only SP gondolas confirmed as ever being black were the two classes built at AC&F in 1951, G-70-7 and G-70-8. I have never seen evidence in lettering drawings or in photos that any other gondolas were ever painted or repainted black.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

References

1.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 202-203
   

2. 
   

G-70-8 GB Gondola

    SP #160500-160549

1. It used A-3 ride control, 1-W wheels.
   

Paint

    The G-70-8 cars were delivered in black.

    Tony Thompson

References

1.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 204-205
   

Modeling G-70-8

Con-Cor

1. You can modify and upgrade the old Con-Cor gondola also, but it's a fair amount of work and isn't an exact match for the SP car.      Tony Thompson
   

Tangent Scale Models

1. ACF 52-6 welded 70-ton drop-end gondola.
   

Paint

1. "Original" G-70-8 in the original black paint scheme.
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. Comes with white lettering, available in 6 road numbers.
   

2. 
   

G-70-9 GB Gondolas

1. SP #160550-160649 blt 1953
   

   70t drop-end mill gondolas

   STEEL floor, Barber S-2-A trucks

1. 65' long. 1778 cft
   

Paint

1. Classes G-70-9, -11 and -12 of 1953, were clearly BCR with black emblem backgrounds. I have never seen evidence in lettering drawings or in photos that any other gondolas were ever painted or repainted black.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                             SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 201

References

1.                                                                        SCAN 1953 builder photo SP #160550
   

2. photo #340389 (renumbered)                          Model Railroading 9/1987 p.22 1960's
   

3.                                                                          SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 202
   

Modeling G-70-9

Athearn

    Use the RTR.

1. 
   

G-70-11 GB Gondola

    SP #161400-161599

1. It used A-3 ride control trucks.
   

Paint

1. Classes G-70-11 of 1953, were clearly BCR with black emblem backgrounds. I have never seen evidence in lettering drawings or in photos that any other gondolas were ever painted or repainted black.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

References

1.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 206-208
   

2. 
   

G-70-12 GB Gondola

    SP #160150-160449

1. It used A-3 ride control, 1-W wheels.
   

Paint

1. The G-70-12 cars were delivered in 1953 box car red with black emblem backgrounds. I have never seen evidence in lettering drawings or in photos that any other gondolas were ever painted or repainted black.
   

   Tony Thompson

References

1.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 209, 211
   

Modeling G-70-12

Con-Cor

1. You can modify the old Con-Cor gondola, but it is a fair amount of work and isn’t an exact match for the SP car.
   

Tangent Scale Models

1. Southern Pacific G-70-12 comes with 70-ton ASF A-3 Ride-Control trucks and free-rolling all-metal wheels.It is finished with coupler lift bars accompanying Kadee® scale couplers and sufficient hidden weights.
   

2. This model is great!
   

3. Tony Thompson
   

Paint

1. It is in the original 1953 scheme, SP Freight Car Red.
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. It has 12 road numbers.
   

2. 
   

G-70-14 GB Gondola

    SP #340255-340404

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 212-214
   

2. 
   

G-70-15 Wood Chip Gondola

    SP #350510-351009

1. They were built as all-steel cars and later some were rebuilt as composite cars. The rebuilds of the all-steel G-70-15 cars, came with far stiffer truss sides. That thought is buttressed by the note in the 1970 ORER, that 322 of the 498 cars in the class were COMPOSITE, not all-steel, cars. They differed only slightly in cubic capacity. These have only two equal dimension diagonal bridge girders on either side of the central vertical one.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 158
   

2.                                                                        http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g070-15.htm
   

G-70-16 GB Gondola

    SP #330250-330449

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 218-219
   

G-70-18 Wood Chip Gondola

    SP #351600-351999

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 150, 160, 162
   

G-70-19 Wood Chip Gondola

    SP #352018-352117

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg.
   

2.                                                                        http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g070-19.htm
   

Modeling G-70-19

Exactrail

   The woodchip gondola from Exactrail will be similar in appearance to the G-70-19.

   Rob Sarberenyi

1. 
   

           

G-100-8-B

1. SP #800000-800149
   

2. 
   

3. The SP 800100-800149 have 14 ribs, where most other 100 ton SP gons have 13 ribs.
   

4. All rebuilt mid 1984 or a bit earlier. At least that is when they showed up in the Equipment Registers. While supposed to have been -R, a slide from Utah, of a car with good paint, shows no -R. We think 800065-800099 (all might not have been used) may be ex-8 and they kept their corrugated sides. These were probably the true G-100-8-B.
   

5. 
   

6. We now think that #800100-800149 are possibly ex-MKT 12500-12599, built Thrall Car and gone from registers circa 1980. 50 might have gone to the SP. The car definitely has all the hallmarks of a modern Thrall car, but it has 14 side posts and not 13 as all the other SP Thrall cars did of this general size. Why classed as G-100-8-B?  Who knows. A "true" G-100-8-B are Gunderson corrugated sided cars.
   

7. 
   

8. The rebuilt G-100-8's were classed as G-100-8R's and then the ex-MKT cars were assigned to G-100-8B as some folks consider an "A" suffix to be understood and start at "B" instead.
   

References

                                                                         http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-08b.htm

Modeling G-100-8-B Gondola

Walthers

1. The Walthers gon pictured at the web site above would be appropriate only for one group of SP gons, the second hand G-100-8B cars. The kit is labeled 53' Thrall Gon smooth sides Southern Pacific road #337884 (Walthers part #932-5903).
   

2. 
   

3. The original Walthers model was a 13-rib Thrall, years before they started the "Gold Line". The -old- Walthers model is reasonably close to the SP G-100-26 gondola.
   

4. 
   

G-100-11 Wood Chip Gondola Cars

1. The first group, #354000-354199, is G-100-11 built by Pullman-Standard on lot 9008 to SP order P-3214 in 1965. 185,000 capy, AAR GTS, 7466 cu ft. These are the only wood chip gons of this design built by Pullman for any road and the only PS wood chip gons to the SP. In my Volume 1 on gondolas, I listed the original SP intention to purchase 400 cars from Pullman-Standard. Only 200 were purchased from them, G-100-11.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

   Steel truss, plywood sides.

Reference

1. Wood Chip          (*see MM 5/94)
   

2.                                                                         http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-11.htm
   

3.                                                                         SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 160
   

Modeling G-100-11 Wood Chip Car

Exactrail

   Great.

   The woodchip gondola from Exactrail will be similar in appearance to the G-70-19 except they'll represent the larger 7466 cu ft    

   G-100-11 class.

   Rob Sarberenyi

1. 
   

G-100-12 Wood Chip Cars

1. SP #354200-354399
   

   All steel, truss side.

1. Built by Gunderson on lot 14194 to SP order P-3234 in 1965. The second 200 cars came a year later, G-100-12, from Gunderson. 
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Paint

Weathering

1. On the protoype the plywood sides weathered differently than the metal supports and ends. Wood grain detail accentuated differences in color ranging from almost black to an infinite number of shades of brown.
   

Modeling G-100-11 Wood Chip Car

Exactrail

   Great.

   The woodchip gondola from Exactrail will be similar in appearance to the G-70-19 except they'll represent the larger 7466 cu ft    

   G-100-12 class.

   Rob Sarberenyi

Problems with model

1. 1) No airline between the bolsters.
   

2. 2) No grab iron on the lower right ends. This grab iron is the same level as the lower one on the sides. Drill a few holes and make one up from .008" wire.
   

3. 3) No wire grabs for the bottom ends of the car. Do the same as above.
   

4. 4) No cross bar across the frame under the brake system. Simply drill the holes and bend some flat wire.
   

5. D.A. Waggoner
   

6. 
   

G-100-21 Gondola Cars

    Inside height: 5'-3" 3110 ft3

Reference

                                                                            http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-21.htm

1. 
   

G-100-22 Gondola Cars

1. SP #340525-340624.
   

2. 
   

3. 65' 6" mill gondola. Built 1974 by Thrall interior photo of one of these cars and it is smooth on the inside of the end, with toe-holes at one edge as an internal ladder. It has built-in steps on the interior ends.
   

   Inside height: 4'-6" 2795 ft3

Reference

                                                                          http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=22421

                                                                          http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-22.htm

Modeling G-100-22

Clyde King Model

                                                                           http://www.pbase.com/espeef5/image/43769130

                                                                           http://www.pbase.com/espeef5/sp_gondola

                                                                           http://www.pbase.com/espeef5/image/72506631

Paint

   He finished off the car, airbrushed Accu-Paint's AP-54 Rich Oxide Brown and applied decals

                                                                            http://www.pbase.com/espeef5/image/66464161

ExactRail

1. They differ significantly from the Greenville Steel Car (GSC) 65-foot gondolas ExactRail released last year (2011).
   

                                                                            http://www.modelrailroadnews.com/TrainFest_Nov2012.html

G-100-26 Gondola Cars

1. SP #338169
   

2. All of SP's Thralls were non-standard designs:
   

3. The G-100-26 was a 15-panel Thralls with two narrow panels.
   

Reference

                                                                           http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-26.htm

                                                                           Modern Freight Cars List [MFCL]

                                                                           http://www.pbase.com/espeef5/sp_g_100_26

Modeling G-100-26

Walthers

1. Walthers model matches Espee's G-100-26 class cars match the existing prototype with the two narrow panels.
   

G-100-35 Gondola Cars

1. #340625-340724
   

1. These are Greenville Steel Car (GSC) 65-foot gondolas. They are dimple side plated (corrugated) gons.
   

Reference

                                                                            http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=41958

Modeling G-100-35

ExactRail

1. ExactRail released these last year (2011).
   

                                                                            http://www.modelrailroadnews.com/TrainFest_Nov2012.html

1. 
   

G-110-11 Woodchip Car

1. The series goes from SP #354000 to 354199, then SP #390000 to 390055. The SP #354000-354399 series was built as class G-110-11 in 1965-1966. The SP Freight Car Specification Sheet #23 on Richard's site is from 1965 placing it right in the middle of the delivery of this class. The first and second halves of this class were delivered during a change in ownership of the builder (possibly?) They are listed as GBEC for the 1st 200 and FMC/GBEC for the 2nd.
   

Reference

1.                                                                          SP Freight Car Specification Sheet #23
   

Modeling G-110-11

Diamond Scale

Ore Service Cars

G-50-26 Ore Service Gondolas

    SP #300424-300773

1. Considered a”short car”, these G-50-26 were 34 feet, 6 inches inside. They were built in early 1953 at Sacramento General Shops by the SP.
   

  

1. 50-ton gondola were used for the Kaiser Steel iron ore trains before the SP ore cars were built in 1958.
   

2. 
   

3. Since the Eagle Mountain mine of Kaiser was opened in the late 1940s, it is fairly obvious that the G-50-26 cars could not have been used from the beginning. Instead, other available SP steel gondolas were used, including some 40-foot (nominal) length cars, which of course could not be loaded full in cubic capacity, as the ore was too dense.
   

4. Tony Thompson
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 237
   

2.                                                                        Trainline 1996 Winter #50
   

Modeling G-50-26

1. There are no commercial models in any scale now. With regard to modeling, cutting down a 40-foot body to about the right length could at least provide a stand-in, and would be interesting as a contrast to the longer gondolas which are familiar.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Detail Associates

1. Excellent HO scale GS gondola kit from Detail Associates. The DA gons came in either composite or all steel versions. The DA gons are not in production, they're pretty much something you'd need to find at a swap meet or on eBay.
   

2. Rob Sarberenyi
   

Funaro & Camerlengo

1. Fine resin kit from Funaro & Camerlengo for the War Emergency design cars.
   

MDC

1. MDC has made a 34' 6" gondola. It was made by MDC / Roundhouse in the early '70's.
   

Red Caboose

1. There is already an excellent Red Caboose GS gons kit.
   

Roundhouse (now Athearn)

1. They manufactures a 40' (41') gondola based on a C&O prototype. It doesn't look much like the SP ore gondola.
   

Ulrich

1. The old Ulrich metal kit for the earlier GS design cars.
   

G-100-1 Ore Service Gondola Car   (Kaiser Ore Cars)

1. 100 ton ore cars were (#345000-345599). During the 1960's and 1970's the SP used to run huge trains between Ferrum and Fontana which consisted mainly of special ore cars and pulled by U-boats. 100 ton ore cars were G-100-1 and G-100-6.
   

2. 
   

3. SP added the side extensions in the late 60's, but it was certainly completed by 1966; there are photos of the ore trains in that year, all cars then having extensions.
   

4. Tony Thompson
   

Details

Wheels

1. They came with 36” wheels.
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 228, 240, 242, 243
   

Modeling G-100-1

MDC

1. G-100-1s with the extensions were once available as simple kits from Model Die Casting/Roundhouse in HO and should still be available at many hobby shops. Maybe Horizon Hobbies will make them available again.
   

1. Clyde King built a neat train consisting of 56 Espee HO scale MDC iron ore hoppers, correcting the trucks and brakes, painting and changing car numbers etc. With the ore loads installed it looks great!
   

2. 
   

3. Someday Clyde's gonna finish building his Espee GE U28C and U30Cs to power the train, along with throwing in a few EMD SD35s for good measure.
   

Old Roundhouse G-100-1 ore jennies

1. The wheels are plastic ones that came with the kit are 33". Should be 36”. Replace with Intermountain wheel sets. Add a Kadee spacer between the truck and the body but the coupler height is good.
   

2. Allen Egbert
   

Details Loads

Athearn

1. They don't sell the iron ore loads separately.
   

Chooch

1. Chooch loads may have to be trimmed.
   

Hays Bros Garage

1. Garage website says they no longer sell HO scale loads.
   

1. 
   

G-100-3 Ore Service Gondola Car

    SP #341000

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 228
   

2. 
   

G-100-4 Ore Service Gondola Car

    SP #341001-341040

    SP #341041-341045

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 228, 235
   

2. RMC August 1969 - SP G-100-4 GB 42ft Gon.
   

3. 
   

4. 
   

G-100-6 Ore Service Gondola Car

1. 100 ton ore cars were (#345600-345669).
   

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

References

1. In issue #50 of the SPH&TS publication Trainline, titled "Ore Only, Return to Ferrum, A Look at the Kaiser Ore Trains", by J. Pat Bray, the issue is worth obtaining to learn about the operation and includes photos of the equipment used etc. There is even more coverage of the cars in  SP Freight Cars, Vol. 1.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 244-246
   

2. 
   

G-100-7 Ore Service Gondola Car

1. SP #333500-334399
   

Some renumbered with SPMW maintenance of way reporting mark and numbers.

    900 cars built by Gunderson in 1965. It's a welded car with a length of 42’6”.

1. Considered a”short car”. They were designed to carry very heavy, compact loads.
   

2. 
   

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

Lettering & Numbering

1. Some of the G-100-7's seem to have been renumbered at some point between 1975 and 1983 as SP #334400-334655, prior to any SP 800xxx series cars being on the roster. There’s much inconsistency with regard to class stenciling on these cars.
   

2. 
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 228, 236
   

                                                                          Railway Prototype Cyclopedia #19

Modeling G-100-7

Exactrail

1.                                                          http://www.exactrail.com/skin/frontend/default/exactrail/images/media/HO-sp-gondola-01.jpg
   

2. 
   

3. Ladders and end strips are molded on. Underside detail is plastic airlines and brake rigging, can be replaced/upgraded easily. The brake rigging hangs a bit (normal) but due to the nature of the size of the car and load it was designed to carry, also sported the adjustable brake system which allowed for a difference in braking application, i.e. an extra air tank. This is not featured on the model.
   

4. 
   

5. "Express Series" meant that the car would not be of similar quality as Evolution or Platinum lines. Thus the car's interior obviously shows no indication of the sheet pressed ribs of the outside. Weight of the car is very good. Paint and lettering is excellent, you can even read the ownership stenciling on the sides with a magnifying glass. Wheels are fat like all Exactrail cars wheelsets. This is a 100 ton car and should have 36" wheels. 33" inch are on the model. Truck detail is excellent as is draft gear, but again, Express Series means no coupler cut bar.
   

6. 
   

7. This second run of ExactRail’s first “Express Series” car includes 3 Southern Pacific Road numbers – 333538, 334176, and 334269. The models include McHenry #41 scale knuckle couplers and ExactRail ASF 100 Ton Ride Control Trucks with machined 36” wheels.
   

8. 
   

9. For late 1970s modelers, the real challenge of this model would be dinging the hell out of the sides to show the beating they incurred over say the last decade. Side panels can be popped off for those who are going to make G-100-7Rs. I do have a picture of one of 65 of these cars that were moved into the 800000-800064 series in 1984 taken in Lodi around 1990 that has not a ding in it.
   

10. Mark Pierce
    

G-100-7R

1. SP #800000-800064
   

2. 
   

3. ex G-100-7 directly to G-100-7-R replacing the corrugated panels with flat panels.
   

4. They were obviously designed for heavy, dense "stuff". Both iron and copper ores were shipped in them at times.
   

5. Tony Thompson
   

References

1. http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/photos/sp/sp800012_rob_sarberenyi.jpg
   

2. http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/photos/sp/sp800012a_rob_sarberenyi.jpg
   

3. http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-07r.htm
   

Modeling G-100-7R

Exactrail

G-100-9 GSS Ore Service Gondola Car

    SP #341046-341069

    Used as Copper Concentrate Cars.

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 234
   

G-100-10 Ore Service Gondola Car

    SP #341070

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 235
   

G-100-15

Modeling G-100-15

1. MR Mar. 1992- SP G-100-15/17 Woodchip Gons - Scratchbuild.
   

G-100-16 Drop-Bottom Gondola Car

    SP #341182

1. This was a copper concentrate car. The location, Hayden, AZ, is also immediately suggestive of copper traffic, as a large smelter is located there.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

References

                                                                           http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-16.htm

There's a photo of new (7-71) G-100-16            SP Color Guide, Vol. 1., p. 35, Thompson

G-100-17

Modeling G-100-17

1. MR Mar. 1992- SP G-100-15/17 Woodchip Gons - Scratchbuild.
   

SP G-100-29

1. The original order for 100 cars from PC&F in 1977 consisted of the following:
   

2. SP 323000-323089
   

3. SP 329620-329629
   

4. 
   

5. However, the cars were renumbered over the years into a few different number series:
   

6. SP 329520-329539
   

7. SP 329631-329660
   

8. SP 329700-329739
   

1. They were all built with troughs for coils. 323000-323089 were built without covers, 329620-329629 may have been built with covers. By '85 the 329620s all had covers and the 323000s were starting to get covers and go to the 329631-329660 group. Apparently in 1993 some cars were fitted with load dividers and covers, if they didn't already have them, and renumbered to the 329522-329539 and 329700-329739 groups. After '94 or so these cars and numbers begin to get confusing as covers, load dividers and troughs are removed and the cars become plain ol' gons. Cars from other classes seem to be getting renumbered into these groups.
   

2. Bill Kelly
   

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

Reference

1. SP G-100-29 class gondola:                        http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-29.htm
   

SP G-100-37

1. Built by Thrall.
   

Details

Wheels

1. 36” wheels
   

Reference

                                                                            http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-37.htm

Modeling SP G-100-37

ExactRail

1. They're offering it as an SP G-100-37, the last gondolas SP bought just before the end. Exactrail's model is a Thrall 3267 while the SP G-100-37 is a Thrall 3242. The difference can be seen readily in the spacing of the ribs on the end.
   

2. Tim O'Connor                                        http://www.exactrail.com/email/attachments/Thrall%203267%20Gondola%20Packet.zip
   

E&C/LBF

1. They have gotten it right for the SP cars, although the tooling is nothing like Exactrail's highly detailed model.
   

2. Tim O'Connor
   

Ballast / Work Gondola Cars

W-50-0 Gondola Car

    SP #47566-47665

    SP #52600-52698

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 33
   

W-50-1 Gondola Car

    SP #11970-12219

    SP #12990-13087

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 33, 35
   

W-50-3 Gondola Car

    SP #10880-10959

    SP #12220-12519

    SP #12520-12639

1. Called the Rodger-Hart convertible ballast cars. By World War II, the survivors had been converted to bottom-dumping only, so were effectively hopper cars dumping between the rails.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 33, 41-44
   

Modeling W-50-3

Silver Streak

1. 10% oversized in all dimensions, does effectively model these cars, and correctly has the underbody truss located behind the plane of the car sides, unlike the plastic version by Train Miniature/Walthers.
   

2. Tony Thompson
   

Train Miniature / Walthers

1. It does not have the underbody truss located behind the plane of the car sides.
   

W-50-4 Gondola Car

    SP #10580-10879

    SP #12640-12839

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 52

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 33, 45-47
   

W-50-6 Gondola Car

    SP #10280-10579

Lettering & Numbering

    For a lettering diagram see:                            SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 52

References

1.                                                                        SP Freight Cars, Volume 1, Gondolas and Stock Cars, pg. 30, 33, 48, 49
   

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