Those infamous Clam shell gondolas

[Ralph]

Maligned both as a prototype and a model, I've still always liked these cars and bought seven of them over the years at flea markets for a couple of bucks a piece. For those who are unfamiliar with the clam shell coil car, the prototype is an Evan's product from the 1960s that was one of the first dedicated steel coil cars. The clam shell lid opened so half of the lid slid down either side of the car, providing access for loading and unloading. Seemed like a well intentioned concept but the heavy shells often got bound up, twisted, and dropped unexpectedly, creating a safety hazard. I think the P&LE had about 50 of them while the Bessemer had considerably fewer. Most had the lids removed pretty quickly and either ran without tops or had different styles fashioned.



Here is a prototype photo of a simlar car...
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In my imagined layout world, the KP&W thought the concept was worth a second try so they purchased seven of the gons from the P&LE and B&LE, tinkered with them in their shops, and found a way to make them work. I added body mounted couplers, a little patching and the KP&W logo, weathered liberally, and put them in service. They are often seen on the "Steel Job" coming out of Williams Yard for KP Steel.