Already a good time ago I started to model an interesting low board gondola with a few very interest details.
Picture is used by permission of Black River Historical Society - for showing a larger view click in this picture or click here.
These gondolas were built originally in 1899 by the Elliot Car Company of Gadsen, Alabama, for the Lake Terminal Railroad and they were 66 feet long, a very extraordinary length of that time and (for my specially interest) they were built near to 100 percent from wood!
The little industrial railroad was controlled by the Lorain Steel Co. which needed such special cars to ship their new 60 feet long street railway girder rails. All in all 102 such cars was built and pictures of later time show that they were in service also in 1920 and after yet.
The cars have got 12 (!) heavy truss rods arranged in six pairs and 4 counter truss rods (2 pairs) hugged the car’s side as it travelled up and over a king post pointing up, rather than down, at the car’s center. I think this is a really seldom arrangement of truss rods. And last, look the picture that shows in reality like the heavy load together with rain and humidity arched up the car in center. (All other pictures which are available show the same arching up also, thus this picture is not an exception!) How many special details are needed yet in order to speak about a really extraordinary car? This was a piece of rolling stock that I must build as model!
Sorry, but this preface must be in order to declare my enthusiasm for these cars.
I found all these information as well as a picture and drawings of this car in John H. White’s book “The American Railroad Freight Car” and I was fascinated by this car. With help of Black River Historical Society (thanks to Carolyn) I have got high resolution pictures of these cars and with it I could read all the lettering of cars.
Modeling job could be started - a first time.
Here is pictured what I built in a first step of this project – I started with the wood construction for three models. I planed to build two models for my own use and a third model that will get to a friend. You see the truss rods already which are guided over the side boards and if you will do a second look you can see also that all three cars are arched up like it is written before.
Time was gone and anytime I must wait for a commercial brake part – the project stopped and I built my both B&O models like you can read here in forum.
After finishing these models now I restarted the gondola project – with two more models. I don’t know wherefore but my friend preferred to get a new model showing like new when the cars are delivered from the car builder shop. I think these aged models looking many more interesting because they are so different in contrast to other aged cars – but he would like to get a model of a new car.
Ok, he will get a new car!
I used my former sketches which I made after the drawings in my book in order to see the small differences when I must use strip wood with small different dimensions than the timber was used at the original cars. But in most cases I could work very axactly after the drawings.
First parts are three pairs of end sills, one more than I will need. They have got small cutouts for the side and intermediate sills.
Side sills got their end profile with exact inner length between the end sills.
It is more practicable cutting identical pieces in a bundle. So they get all the same length and you can avoid differences. Small tolerances for all parts make a model a bit shorter or longer. Differences of a single part make a model slant and uneven and most you will see it also on end of such a model construction.
Gluing together each one side sill and end sill.
Making the outer frame with help of an exact dimensioned jig that I have cut and grinded from thin plywood. Cutting and grinding the overlaping ends of sills after gluing is a more easy way getting good and clean edges than attempt to work with exact cut wood strips.
Six smaller intermediate sills are inserted in the cutouts of end sills to each frame.
Preparing the floor planks: Wood strips are fixed together by an adhesive tape …
… and then they are cut in bundles wich are a bit longer then you need them for floor. Than I turn the bundles in position like flooring, fix them again with adhesive tape on other side of wood and cut now the planks on both sides exactly in length.
After removing the foil on one side you have bundles of floor planks ...
… which I glued again in bundles on the frame very time saving and exactly in this way. Also with this method you will get small differences at the floor planks which are welcome also at a middling new model. If you would work with single cut planks you will get a result that will be many more unevenly and unrealistically.
You see here also that I use a more jig in order to hold the intermediate sills in a straight position. It is not more as exactly spaced wood strips glued on a plywood underlay.
And before a started with planking I glued a wood strip on end sills in order to give them their correct dimension and after I added a first single floor board exactly centered to frame ends. This way gives a good initial point gluing the next boards in bundles on the frame.
Because I have glued the planks from both ends to center of model I must check short before end of planking with what for planks I can fill the gap. Here you see the filled gap by one a bit smaller wood strip, in other cases it could be necessarily filling the gap with one or two wider strips. After cutting these gap filling boards exact to length of other planks nobody will see these smaller or wider planks when model is finished.
First step is done – frames including the floors are ready, nearly.
Bernhard
Picture is used by permission of Black River Historical Society - for showing a larger view click in this picture or click here.
These gondolas were built originally in 1899 by the Elliot Car Company of Gadsen, Alabama, for the Lake Terminal Railroad and they were 66 feet long, a very extraordinary length of that time and (for my specially interest) they were built near to 100 percent from wood!
The little industrial railroad was controlled by the Lorain Steel Co. which needed such special cars to ship their new 60 feet long street railway girder rails. All in all 102 such cars was built and pictures of later time show that they were in service also in 1920 and after yet.
The cars have got 12 (!) heavy truss rods arranged in six pairs and 4 counter truss rods (2 pairs) hugged the car’s side as it travelled up and over a king post pointing up, rather than down, at the car’s center. I think this is a really seldom arrangement of truss rods. And last, look the picture that shows in reality like the heavy load together with rain and humidity arched up the car in center. (All other pictures which are available show the same arching up also, thus this picture is not an exception!) How many special details are needed yet in order to speak about a really extraordinary car? This was a piece of rolling stock that I must build as model!
Sorry, but this preface must be in order to declare my enthusiasm for these cars.
I found all these information as well as a picture and drawings of this car in John H. White’s book “The American Railroad Freight Car” and I was fascinated by this car. With help of Black River Historical Society (thanks to Carolyn) I have got high resolution pictures of these cars and with it I could read all the lettering of cars.
Modeling job could be started - a first time.
Here is pictured what I built in a first step of this project – I started with the wood construction for three models. I planed to build two models for my own use and a third model that will get to a friend. You see the truss rods already which are guided over the side boards and if you will do a second look you can see also that all three cars are arched up like it is written before.
Time was gone and anytime I must wait for a commercial brake part – the project stopped and I built my both B&O models like you can read here in forum.
After finishing these models now I restarted the gondola project – with two more models. I don’t know wherefore but my friend preferred to get a new model showing like new when the cars are delivered from the car builder shop. I think these aged models looking many more interesting because they are so different in contrast to other aged cars – but he would like to get a model of a new car.
Ok, he will get a new car!
I used my former sketches which I made after the drawings in my book in order to see the small differences when I must use strip wood with small different dimensions than the timber was used at the original cars. But in most cases I could work very axactly after the drawings.
First parts are three pairs of end sills, one more than I will need. They have got small cutouts for the side and intermediate sills.
Side sills got their end profile with exact inner length between the end sills.
It is more practicable cutting identical pieces in a bundle. So they get all the same length and you can avoid differences. Small tolerances for all parts make a model a bit shorter or longer. Differences of a single part make a model slant and uneven and most you will see it also on end of such a model construction.
Gluing together each one side sill and end sill.
Making the outer frame with help of an exact dimensioned jig that I have cut and grinded from thin plywood. Cutting and grinding the overlaping ends of sills after gluing is a more easy way getting good and clean edges than attempt to work with exact cut wood strips.
Six smaller intermediate sills are inserted in the cutouts of end sills to each frame.
Preparing the floor planks: Wood strips are fixed together by an adhesive tape …
… and then they are cut in bundles wich are a bit longer then you need them for floor. Than I turn the bundles in position like flooring, fix them again with adhesive tape on other side of wood and cut now the planks on both sides exactly in length.
After removing the foil on one side you have bundles of floor planks ...
… which I glued again in bundles on the frame very time saving and exactly in this way. Also with this method you will get small differences at the floor planks which are welcome also at a middling new model. If you would work with single cut planks you will get a result that will be many more unevenly and unrealistically.
You see here also that I use a more jig in order to hold the intermediate sills in a straight position. It is not more as exactly spaced wood strips glued on a plywood underlay.
And before a started with planking I glued a wood strip on end sills in order to give them their correct dimension and after I added a first single floor board exactly centered to frame ends. This way gives a good initial point gluing the next boards in bundles on the frame.
Because I have glued the planks from both ends to center of model I must check short before end of planking with what for planks I can fill the gap. Here you see the filled gap by one a bit smaller wood strip, in other cases it could be necessarily filling the gap with one or two wider strips. After cutting these gap filling boards exact to length of other planks nobody will see these smaller or wider planks when model is finished.
First step is done – frames including the floors are ready, nearly.
Bernhard
