A 52’-6”, 15-panel gondola with factory-dented sides is now available from Bluford Shops. The N scale injection-molded plastic model, offered with light, medium, and heavy denting, features metal wheelsets, body-mounted couplers, and railroad-specific end and hand brake options.
Prototype history
The Bluford Shops model is based on a design developed by the Erie RR and Greenville Steel Car Co. in 1940. From the mid-1940s through late 1957, mill gondolas were constructed to this plan by other builders, including American Car & Foundry, Bethlehem Steel, Mount Vernon Car Co., and Pullman-Standard. In addition, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; New York Central; and Rock Island built this style of car at their shops.
The sample we received is decorated as Conrail 522738, part of the railroad’s 522584 through 522681 series (broken). The full-size 1,761-cubic-foot capacity car was built for the Erie by Greenville Steel Car Co. in April 1954. Following the 1960 merger between the Erie and Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the gondola became Erie Lackawanna 16520 . The car joined Conrail’s freight car fleet in April 1976.
Model features
Construction of the N scale model consists of plastic sides and ends glued to a die-cast metal floor. The sides feature three levels of denting. What’s the difference between them? “The lightly dented versions have multiple deflections in the side sheets above the floor line,” explained Craig Ross, owner of Bluford Shops. “The medium dented versions have the side sheets visibly puffed outward between the rivet lines as countless small dings to the inside faces accumulated and stretched the sheets into rough domes.
“The heavily dented versions also have the puffed-out panels, but to a greater extent — plus many of the ribs have also been deflected outward. The concave dent detail on the inside faces matches the convex outside faces.”…