First a link which I found on this very helpful website showing many, many historic scenes of NYC railroad terminals.

Click this link and look this picture showing a great idea for model railroaders! I think that this unloading scene gives a good idea for my 1930 train where I will not have big problems for realizing – giving me a nice addition to the many standard box cars of the thirties.

Getting the well fitting models was not a big problem. One older 65’ mill gondola lay in a box at me with a few small damages. And I found a cheap brass mill gondola in Ebay because I would like to use two gondolas for realizing overlang loads.



This gondola is a very old plastic kit made by Eastern Car Works and is modelled after a Pennsy G-29 gondola. Unfortunately I never found correct PRR decals so now I own a model that was sold to the CNJ, years ago already. I must add a new brake wheel including the visible parts of the hand brake gear and I added correct 70 ton Bettendorf trucks made by Tahoe Model Works. Additional parts are brake levers and brake hoses and four new stirrups – and I lowered the model for 2 millimeter so I think I have got a nice model in a very short time.



This brass gondola – a model after a Bethlehem Steel gondola - did need a few more repairs and modifications. The biggest problem was that the stirrups were mounted too near to the trucks so that the movability of trucks was very limited and the model could run only on straight track.



And that was the brake gear! Wires clamped between rips and binders were going diagonally under the frame, the brake wheel was soldered to a slant glued mounting plate, the small chain of the brake gear was soldered behind the mounting plate and the stirrups were lose – and one of side walls were broken from the frame. Ok, the model was really a bargain!





These two pictures show rebuilt brake gear and air tubes around the three-way-valve and brake cylinder. And you can see how I must solve the problem with missing movability of trucks. The new truck centers are moved 2 millimeters (around 0.08”) to center of car so that the truck frame can free passing the stirrups. I think that this will be an acceptable solution.





And now? An Erie-Lackawanna gondola as addition to my 1930 train?
Also here the same problem; shortly I did not get decal sets for lettering in a 1930/40 pattern however I received this nice set of the EL. I studied a few pictures of EL mill gondolas and so I adapted the decals to my model and I think that it will look great – also together with my 40’ cars. What you not can see with a first view – also here I lowered the Frame around 1.5 millimeters (around 0.06”) so all these models are closer to the original cars.

Last I did need a third car for realizing the loading project with overlong bridge girders – an idler car.



I found this very short PRR F-22 flat which has a length of 30’ only. This is a very new and very nice brass model however with a very big problem, it did run extremely bad! Three such models in a train and I will need a helper!
More about modifying this model and about my second loading project will follow, I think tomorrow.

Those models look great,, But I am partial to the CNJ one, being a Central buff . I am not sure how concerned about a prototypical time line you are, but the EL merger wasn't until the early 1960's. Erie or DL&W would be more Appropriate for the 1930"s-40"s era. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.erielackhs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=17I">http://www.erielackhs.org/index.php?opt ... Itemid=17I</a><!-- m --> I hope this web page helps with any questions on the EL you hay have..

E-paw,
thank you very much for your answer.

I know all the things and I know about my false timed EL gondola. As I wrote already I did not get other, correct timed decal sets for this gondola and so I did this. I did not have enough enjoy to draw own decals for each model that I will get in my hands. I will do this for my scratchbuild models however not for all industrial and handmade models. This one car does not have the value to me for such a time consuming work.
I see this also from an other side yet. I do not own a layout with a very specific scenery or time period. However I will be free to model what I would like to do. My models run one time per year on a modular layout where also are very different times are modelled. I would like to say there are a few modules wich could present the late forties, others are built in the seventies and the members let run their trains from the steam-diesel transition era until to late seventies. And then I let run my 1900 (!) and 1930 train as guest on a 1970 era layout? Nobody did see a problem with this however I can of course not integrate my models to the clubs train scedule and car system. And if you remember to my two videos of last meeting - in one case my 1900 train did run behind a 1920 engine and the 1930 train was pulled by a GN L-1, an engine that was rebuild to a Mikado around 1925 already.

However thanks again and you are right to write this. If I should get an older decal set for this mill gondola than I will try to get a more gondola again and then I will build a correct timed model. And than I will sell the EL gondola - or not?

Good looking models!

I'm' in the same boat as you 1900, I'm a mid 40's modeler, but I like to run mt FM train masters a lot, and I also own an SD90 Mac that I run from time to time . The gons are great looking models and it's all in fun anyway.

The second loading project based on this picture that I found also on the website of NYC harbour railroads.
http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/bedt/bn...ze1942.jpg – I think that this ship propeller will be a very seldom modeled load.
Searching for a car I found only more modern welded well cars. However I need a riveted car for my modeling time and there I have got a very nice model …



… a PRR F-29/2 depressed center flat car which fits my 1930 era perfectly. Do you think now that I could use this model without modifications? I think you should know me enough now – there was two or three things also those I must change before I can use the model.
First I did replace the very soft brake wheels and shafts by new parts one.



The most annoying things were these cutouts at trucks where in original the brake beams are inserted. The brake shoes are positioned exactly to the wheel rimes and than such cutouts! This must be changed! However before I could modify this I have had the same problem like with the flat car written in first post; the model did run very bad. The problem was as so often – the truck side frames have got ordinary drilled holes and this is not the correct bearing for needle pointed wheelsets. The axles do rub at walls of holes and they do not run on tips of axles. In case of the flatcar the holes have had same diameter as axles and so there was not a bit clearance for a free movability.



I solved this problem by inserting of new nylon bearings to the holes by replacement parts of Tichy Train Group seeing right in picture yet fixed at injection-molded piece. The difficulty is drilling and widening the old holes because the axle boxes are only a small bit larger than the new bearings and I must drill wider holes until near to end of material short before I would drill through the axle boxes. Also with this I must shorten the new nylon bearings in order to give the axles a small bit of movability in axial direction when wheelset and trucks are mounted.
You see in picture that I drilled wider holes at ends of truck side frame only and if you will spend a second view you will see also the already inserted new nylon bearings. Sorry, the contrast is not very high because the bearings are made from clear molded nylon. The center hole is widened a bit only so that the center wheel can turn free with the frame. But now I have got really good running models, many times better than before.







And this are pictures after adding a few of the visible brake parts – new brake beams were added to the brake shoes and I added a few parts of the brake gear there where critical modelers would missing a few parts. I must say that I needed many more time for realizing the brake gear as I thought before. Most of small levers I built a second time and also fixing to brake beams was done after second or third attempt. The brake beams are soldered at one side to brake shoes only and the short gear rods are all solvable from the truck bolster. So I can add or replace the wheelsets without difficulties to truck. However all the connections between brake levers and rods including to beams must be movable for inserting the wheelsets – without this it would not be work. So I riveted all these connections and this give more strong connections than soldering the parts together. And this was one of my problems - rivets are in most cases made from 0.3 millimeter wire (around 0.012") and they are not longer than 0.04" - 1 millimeter. However I did not lost one of these small parts because I work with a longer wire and cut off the wire after it was inserted into the holes. However while riveting many of the small levers and fine rod ends were cracked because the material around the holes must be very, very thin.



However all is done and this is the result – painting and lettering will follow (in five or six weeks, when I can give the model to my model painter). In background you see on car already the first attempt for fixing the load. I think that it will work however a few new fixing rods must be added yet. And I think also that a few turnbuckles will be needed for a well working fixing, or? (I think also that I'm cracy.)

Now a short pre-view to ship-propeller load.
A propeller was bought in a model building shop and a first loading attempt tested.







Propeller has 2 3/8” diameter (6 centimeter) and I think that this will not be to large in comparison to original.
High of model is 2 ½” over all and this is good enough for free passing of all tunnels and very low overpasses also.

What do you think? Should I do a few changes?

Bernhard, I just read your last post about the way the manufacturer drilled holes for the axle bearings and didn't allow for the pointed axles common in replacement wheel sets. I wonder if a better way to fix the problem would be to fill the holes with plastic filler putty and let it cure completely. Then center and drill a small pilot hole for each axle and then use the " HO Truck Tuner" from Micro Mark to fit the replacement wheels to the truck.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.micromark.com/HO-Truck-Tuner,8241.html">http://www.micromark.com/HO-Truck-Tuner,8241.html</a><!-- m -->

Russ,
thank you very much for your hint!
I will try this with the next model although I'm not sure in moment if this filler will be hard enough. However we have here a good 2-components resin which I could use for a first attempt. I case of negative results I could use my own technology in a second step without problems. Thanks!

If the plastic filler putty is not strong enough, another possibility would be to mix up a two part epoxy and fill the journals with epoxy, then use the pilot drill and the "HO Truck Tuner."

Today I finished the first loading project; the mill gondolas are gone in service.



Basic for the load are three sets of these girder bridges made by Central Valley.



The girders are lengthened for three fields and they have got wood racks for a fixed positioning - after spraying with color that look very close to red lead priming coat - or in German: Bleimennige.



And this is the result including the short idler car.
I had seen in a picture myde by Doc Wayne this off-center positioned load and first I was surprised. After a short writing with him here in forum I found a Loading Rule document of 1917 and there were many rules written how work with such off-center loads and so I was sure that it is a corrct way for shipping loads longer as the available cars.
However I have one problem yet with these models.



At last I would like to add such signboards of the producer at both sides of this steel construction and I created the plant "Phoenix Steel Co." located in Lorain, Ohio - a really large steel producion and processing area.
My question is - Were such producer signboards used already in 30ties and early 40ties of last century? Or is this a more newer aspact of American railroading? What is your opinion to this? I would like to get your knowledge in this fact, please.
And second - When your answer should be Yes or Ok. than I would like to ask you for the size of this specific signboard? Would you prefer to reduce the size of it a bit? My wife said that it will be too large in contrast to the small car lettering. What is here your position?
Thank you very much for your help and answers.

Signboards like that were pretty common throughout the first 2/3s of the 20th century. They often were photographed leaving the plant and used in ads or PR campaigns. If anything, since the purpose is to attract attention, it could be larger, but it looks fine as it is.

Thanks! The signboards are under construction!

And this the end of first loading project.



I hope that you can accept my solution.
A small addition: The shining wheels have got a rusty surface meantime.

Another "jewel" from The Master...."Nuff" said...

BTW...How long are those gondolas..??