Gondolas

First introduced by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad in 1830, a gondola is typically an open-topped railroad car used for transporting loose bulk materials that can handle being exposed to the weather and are not likely to be stolen while in transit. Covered gondolas exist for those materials that need to be protected from the weather. Because of their low side walls, gondolas are also suitable for carrying steel plates, coils, or bulky items such as pre-fabricated sections of rail track and pipes. Gondolas are distinct from hopper cars in that they do not have angled doors protruding from their floor to empty their cargo. The Union Pacific web site states that if you chop a box car in half horizontally, you have a gondola. What we would call a regular gondola is one which has sides that are typically 5 feet tall. Taller versions are called "high side" and shorter versions are called "low side". At a high level, there, basically, have been five types of gondolas produced over the decades. Initially, these were simply converted flat cars (wooden sides and ends bolted to existing flat cars; kind of like a sandbox on top of a flat car). Then there were wood-sided cars, initially on wood frames with truss rods, and later with steel frames. During WWII the composite car was built using steel for the frame and the bracing, but wood to fill the panels themselves. The final and current version is the all steel car (some have aluminum bodies to reduce their empty weight).

Below are links to the various reports that show all of the S-scale gondolas ever produced. Click whichever report gets you to the information that wish to find. The bottom of this page has additional references that might be of interest.

Contact person: Webmaster

By Model Manufacturer
Entries are sorted by manufacturer, then by road name, and then by type of gondola.
By Model Manufacturer ID
Entries are sorted by manufacturer, then by the product ID, and then by road name and road number. This report is handy if you know the manufacturer and the product ID.
This report is limited to entries that have a known manufacturer ID set.
By Road Name
Entries are sorted by road name, then by model manufacturer, and then by type of gondola.
By Type
Entries are sorted by the gondola's type, then by road name, and then by model manufacturer on the final pages.
By Gauge
Entries are sorted by wheel gauge, then by manufacturer, and then by type of gondola. The final pages have the entries sorted by the gondolas' road names.
By Model Introduction Year
Entries are sorted by model year, then by manufacturer, and then by type of gondola. The final pages have the entries sorted by the gondolas' road names.
This report is limited to entries for which the model introduction year is known.
By Material
Entries are sorted by the dominant material from which the model (especially its body) is made, then by manufacturer, and then by type of gondola. The final pages have the entries sorted by the gondolas' road names.
This report is limited to entries for which the dominant material is known.
By Photo
A mini photo album of sorts, this report shows the primary photo for each entry. Click on a photo to see that model's details and possible additional photos. The photos are sorted by road name, road number, and then by manufacturer. This is a huge page, so it may take some time to load.
This report is limited to entries that have at least one photo set.
Missing Photos
This report lists all of the entries for which we do not, yet, have a photo. If you have this model and can take a photo of it, please contact the webmaster.
All Entries
This report lists all entries in one page, and you can click on an entry to see its model information.
All Entries (text only)
Entries are sorted by model manufacturer, type, road name, road number, model year, and product ID, all on one page (no details, no photos). This is handy for when you just want a basic list of what has been produced.
Downloadable Text File
Entries are sorted by model manufacturer, manufacturer ID, road name, road number, type of gondola, gauge, model year, product type, and finish. Note: To import or open this file in a spreadsheet software application, use the hat, ^, character as the column separator (see the "6" key of your keyboard). Most spreadsheet applications will let you pick the separator or delimiter; if not, open the file with a text editor and replace all "^" with a character of your choice, and then try it again.

Report Definitions

These definitions, in alphabetical order, may clarify some of the terms used in the reports linked to above:

Finish
Where the "|" (vertical bar) is used in the text, it indicates that the model was available in more than one finish, where each finish format is separated by the "|" symbol.
Gauge
"AF": for models that come only with A.C. Gilbert-style or -compatible wheels and couplers, and generally have no built-in support for scale couplers (e.g. pre-drilled holes compatible with Kadee couplers).
"S": for standard-gauge (4'8-1/2" rail-spacing) models that come with either no wheels and couplers, with scale wheels and/or couplers, or with "hi-rail" wheels and couplers but have scale wheels and couplers included in the package.
"Sn3", "Sn2", "Sn42": for the various narrow-gauge rail spacings.
Model Manufacturer
A special note here is that some of the cars by Central Hobby Supply, Funaro & Camerlengo, and West Shore Line were duplicated, so that they can be found regardless of which information you might have. These kits were manufactured by Funaro & Camerlengo for the Central Hobby Supply hobby store which sold S-scale items via their "West Shore Line" brand name (which is how the boxes were labeled).
Prototype Height
The interior height of the car as marked on the car's data decal, which may not reflect the actual size of the scale model's height.
Prototype Length
While most of us think of this as the length between the strikers (i.e. the outside length), the prototype indicates the length of the interior on the sides of a gondola. This, of couse, makes sense as that gives the receiver of the car, where the car is loaded, an immediate indication as to what would fit inside the car. So, in this field in the reports above, most, if not all, are the interior length of the car. There is usually a good foot or foot-and-a-half difference between the interior and exterior lengths, depending on the design of the car.
Prototype Volume
The interior volume as marked on the car's data decal, which likely will not reflect the actual 1:64 volume of the scale model.
Prototype Year
If the real-world introduction year of a car is not known, then we indicate the year printed on the model, if shown. Note that the model's year number may indicate a built-new, rebuilt, or re-packaged date, whichever is later.
Road Name
The railroad name (prototype, freelance, or fictional) for which the model was decorated by the factory, or, if undecorated, for which the model was specifically designed. If no road name is listed, then it is a generic model.
Road Number
If the model was factory-decorated with a road number, it will be listed. If the model was released with more than one road number but otherwise is identical, then each road number is listed separately. However, if a series of question-marks appear, then that indicates that a road number was released but we don't know what it was. Each series of question-marks represents one unknown road number, thereby indicating the total number of unique road numbers with which we know the model was released.
Style
The overall configuration of the gondola.

Additional External References

Click the red header text for the external web site, listed here in alphabetical order; the sentence below it provides a high-level description of what you will find on that web page.

American Rails
Provides history and some prototype photos.
FreightCar America
Details about the current-production mill gondola as sold by FreightCar America.
Greenbrier
Details about the current-production 52' mill gondola as sold by Greenbrier.
RCR Rail
Describes what kinds of loads are carried by gondolas, and what types of gondolas there are.
Tales From the River
A modeler's personal web site that provides information about the various gondola classes, with example models shown using various scales.
Union Pacific
The company's web page describes what a gondola is and how it is used today.
Wikipedia
Provides some history about gondolas.