Sugar Beets?

[doctorwayne]

Thanks for all the info guys. My "short" gon fleet is building nicely. I just acquired a Proto1000 40' drop bottom gon lettered for CNR with a build date of 1919.

Is that a factory-lettered car from LifeLike Canada, Andrew? Early CNR stuff isn't easy to find, at least as correctly-decorated versions. Accurail offers the 55ton USRA-style hopper in CNR lettering on the correct black paint, and we have the Dominion-Fowler boxcars from Proto. Westerfield makes a nice kit for CN's 48' gondola, which of course the modeller can paint in the proper colour for his/her operating era. I picked-up one of them for a few bucks at the LHS - the kit was complete except for instructions, but was an easy build. After I painted it in the pre-'40s black, I realised I had shamed myself into repainting the rest of my CNR open-car fleet, too. I've still got two Intermountain drop-bottom gons to redo (again, unbuilt kits off the bargain table at the LHS - $8.00 each, I think). The old Tyco and LifeLike (Proto-No-Thousand can look pretty-decent with a little detail work and their 40' length would be suitable for beet service. I have several in work train service, but will likely redo them as CNR beet cars - perhaps with built-up sides similar to e-paw's good-looking coke cars.




Sylvan offers a nice, although pricey, version of the seven-panel low-roof boxcar, but a decent substitute is the old Train Miniature version - they can be picked-up used for a few bucks at train shows and hobby shops.


Westerfield


Athearn:


Ertl:


Wayne

[MasonJar]

Thanks for the additional info Wayne!

Your local shop sure has a better selection of bargains than mine. Although I think I did luck out with that P1K gon for $9 - ready to run with a Kadee couple upgrade thrown in.

And yes, it is the factory lettered version. I'll get a picture of it up for you soon.


Andrew

[Londoner]

The October 2010 Railroad Model Craftsman has a detailed article on modeling sugar beet industry, focusing on Mason City Iowa. In an earlier issue they had plans for a sugar beet loader. Worth looking at.

Ken

[MasonJar]

Ken,

Thanks! I think I read that somewhere, so I'll have to get myself to the store before they stop offering the Oct issue - which could be any time now!

Andrew

[Londoner]

Andrew

Definitely. The article describes the process and has really good photos that highlight the possibilities for icorporating this industry into a layout.

Ken

[MasonJar]

Well, I did pick up the Oct 2010 issue. Very informative. I don't have plans for building the processing end of the industry at this point - not nearly enough room...!

However, I'd be interested in getting my hands on the other article that talks about the loader. Is this the "starting end" of the process? i.e. - loading the beets in the gons to go for processing? That is something I very likely have room for at my team track.

Andrew