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Hi All! I'm finally joining the forum and felt it would be appropriate to share a few photos of the new 65' Mill Gondola that we've cataloged in the 2017 C1 Signature catalog.

As Ryan stated in another post, the car is based on the Greenbrier design. The cars are often listed as either 65 or 66 feet long depending on who is holding the tape measure and what point on the body they are referencing. We're offering 6 different road names with 3 different road numbers per road name.

The trucks are our new scale trucks that are made alongside the new LionScale trucks. The coupler can be easily removed, and the gondola body is scale coupler ready. These new trucks are also meant for the new 2-rail conversion kits for the 2-rail guys.

The tooling is currently being made and as soon as samples come in, we'll make sure to get pictures up to show everyone. We're aiming to have samples to show at the Spring York as well.

I look forward to being part of discussions here. Don't hesitate to ask questions!

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Last edited by Dave Olson
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Good example of the same class gondola built by a different car builder note some variations 18 ribs instead of 17 and a straight line bottom edge with lip for ribs obviously Lionel could have chosen this builder [Trinity] version over the Gunderson version both are current, the Trinitys and NSC cars are common to the TTX fleet.

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Last edited by hibar
falconservice posted:

These gondolas are the Freight Car America design. Which is similar to the style of gondolas from Trinity and earlier, shorter Thrall Car and Evans Products  gondolas. This is the type of gondola that is not available widely in O scale.

GNTX 290046 Little Rock_AR_Robin Thomas_2016-02-03_87994GNTX 290152 Little Rock_AR_Robin Thomas_2016-01-17_87804

I have been making these for 3 years , there are 2 type logos the most modern and the large yellow , which I produce and I am fixing to use on 2 gons I am building , the newer type and the large yellow .I also make  CSX highside 52 ft gons for scrap service , as well as a NS version and DJ JOSEPH type. I see them all the time here , I make all my own decals  , USSTEEL (metal) pipe loads and wood cribbing,real metal banding, real metal scrap loads ,metal tie down chains and winches  . I also have full underbody detail with brake rods running all the way to the trucks. Inside length on the TTX gons is 66ft 3764 cu ft 16.5 inches in O scale . A friendly recently called them ,"Bernie's better than brass" , because mine come painted, weathered , loaded and ready to run . With companies like Archers transfers , Wiseman model services ,I make masters of any car out there today , however I do not show them here .I have many modern freight cars you see HO . The best part  is MADE IN THE USA by an American .

.IMG_5069[1]IMG_5072[1]IMG_5076[1]IMG_5077[1]IMG_5081[1] TTX

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Last edited by Scratchbuilder1-48
mjrodg3n88 posted:

Dave Olson,

Question, what modeling software are you using?? 

Thanks

Hi Mike!

I use SolidWorks at Lionel. I've used CATIA and Pro-Engineer before, but SolidWorks is great for all the various kinds of projects we do. It also works well with the CNC mill we have in our prototyping shop.

BTW, SCRATCHBUILDER, your models look fantastic! Very envious of your modelling talents.

Thanks all,

Dave

Last edited by Dave Olson

The NS Norfolk Southern mill gondola numbers came from a series built by Ortner for the Norfolk & Western. The Ortner 65' gondolas are similar to the Trinity and Thrall Car designs. Since they are nearing 50 years old, it might be possible that NS will retire and scrap them. Take photos of all the NS gondolas while they are around in the next few years.

Andrew

@Dave Olsen I have a question about those trucks on these gondolas (and possibly the Lion Scale Modern Box Car too). Is the whole truck able to come off and a different set of Lionel trucks able replace it?

I'm not a fan of the thumb tact uncoupling tab and I want to use those trucks from Lionel's scale rolling stock where the uncoupling mechanism is between the axels of the truck.

I might do 3 rail scale later and do kadee couplers, but I want the flexibility to move back later without doing damage prior.

Insight on this will be appreciated.

Thanks

elementdude195 posted:

@Dave Olsen I have a question about those trucks on these gondolas (and possibly the Lion Scale Modern Box Car too). Is the whole truck able to come off and a different set of Lionel trucks able replace it?

I'm not a fan of the thumb tact uncoupling tab and I want to use those trucks from Lionel's scale rolling stock where the uncoupling mechanism is between the axels of the truck.

I might do 3 rail scale later and do kadee couplers, but I want the flexibility to move back later without doing damage prior.

Insight on this will be appreciated.

Thanks

Since Lionel now installs it on their scale 86' boxcars, scale 89' auto racks, and their top of the line 21" passenger cars your gondolas will look out of place 

Does anyone know if the cabooses will go back to this style truck also?

elementdude195 posted:

@Dave Olsen I have a question about those trucks on these gondolas (and possibly the Lion Scale Modern Box Car too). Is the whole truck able to come off and a different set of Lionel trucks able replace it?

 

The new trucks have been designed to be a direct replacement. No changes to the car frames have been made. So the existing scale trucks will fit.

Same goes for the LionScale cars. The trucks were designed as a direct replacement.

Dave Olson posted:
elementdude195 posted:

@Dave Olsen I have a question about those trucks on these gondolas (and possibly the Lion Scale Modern Box Car too). Is the whole truck able to come off and a different set of Lionel trucks able replace it?

 

The new trucks have been designed to be a direct replacement. No changes to the car frames have been made. So the existing scale trucks will fit.

Same goes for the LionScale cars. The trucks were designed as a direct replacement.

Appreciate the answer. I wll try them out and see how it plays out when I get them.

 

By any chance anyone know the part number for those trucks? I'm having difficulties on the website with all type of keywords and item numbers from catalogs to try pull up those trucks that will fit on these gondolas.

rdunniii posted:

Recent Lionel catalogs have the information on the 50 and 70 Ton conversion kits.

I was not looking for 2 rail trucks nor conversion kits. I was looking for 3 rail trucks with uncoupling mechanism between the axels.

I did see some others on the last few pages of the catalog(never turned the page that far before) but I wanted to compare them to the ones on the service part list of scale rolling stock to make sure it's the same thing I'm looking for before I pickup a box of trucks.

Look what came in today!  Here are just a couple of quick teasers of the first tooling samples from the gons. We will have these samples on display at York in a few weeks. While Dave and I have already found a few things that will be changed in the final production, we are both very happy with the way things look at this stage. Currently, these cars are on the factory schedule for June and should be arriving at dealers in mid August if things continue to look good.66 gon tooling sample66gon tooling sample detail

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john f penca jr posted:

Scratchbuilder...first wow nice work ! secondly the power plant in your photo background is the Muny Power plant in Cleveland Ohio which over the last couple months has been torn down. Where o where did that backdrop come from ! conrail john

John the old Muny plant in Cleveland did not come down It was the old Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.E.72nd plant that came down.Nick

Last edited by rockstars1989
Scratchbuilder1-48 posted:

I have been making these for 3 years , there are 2 type logos the most modern and the large yellow , which I produce and I am fixing to use on 2 gons I am building , the newer type and the large yellow .I also make  CSX highside 52 ft gons for scrap service , as well as a NS version and DJ JOSEPH type. I see them all the time here , I make all my own decals  , USSTEEL (metal) pipe loads and wood cribbing,real metal banding, real metal scrap loads ,metal tie down chains and winches  . I also have full underbody detail with brake rods running all the way to the trucks. Inside length on the TTX gons is 66ft 3764 cu ft 16.5 inches in O scale . A friendly recently called them ,"Bernie's better than brass" , because mine come painted, weathered , loaded and ready to run . With companies like Archers transfers , Wiseman model services ,I make masters of any car out there today , however I do not show them here .I have many modern freight cars you see HO . The best part  is MADE IN THE USA by an American .

.IMG_5069[1]IMG_5072[1]IMG_5076[1]IMG_5077[1]IMG_5081[1] TTX

Bernie,

Are you totally getting out of model trains and scratchbuilding altogether?   If not,  is there any chance of you building/decaling a couple of pipe loads as in these photos to fit an MTH Premier McKeesport Connecting RR gondola?   Or at least  print me a sheet of the USS United States Steel decals as on the pipes.

Thanks,

Nick 

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