AHM 8-Panel 42' GONDOLA ~ MONON RR ~ 1960 GB-type Rd# MON 3029

Description: This AHM / Rivarossi gondola car is a must-have for any model railroad enthusiast. The corporate road name is Monon and the color is a beautiful Tuscan Red. This replica of an 8-panel 40' gondola is made of plastic and was manufactured in the year 1960. The gauge is HO, making it perfect for any HO layout. This gondola car is an excellent addition to any collection and is perfect for transportation-themed layouts. In the steam era, railroad freight car fleets consisted of only a few types of “general purpose” freight cars which were used to haul different commodities. One such car was the drop bottom gondola, which was equipped with doors in the floor to permit rapid unloading of commodities such as coal. There were two basic types of drop bottom gondolas: a typical 40’ type GS gondola with eight panel sides and sixteen drop doors had two rows of doors hinged at the center sill to dump outside of the rails, while type GA cars had doors were hinged crosswise to dump between the rails. The type GS cars were common among western roads, which used them in lieu of coal hoppers. With up to sixteen drop doors, type GS gondolas were a maintenance headache and had fallen out of favor by the sixties. Their numbers declined as many were rebuilt into type GB gondolas with solid floors or modified with bulkheads or racks for handling pulpwood. Perhaps more than any other freight car designs, gondolas (also known as simply "gons"), a close relative of the flatcar but often sporting low ribbed sides, is the catchall of the railroad industry. Often getting little respect it is typically beaten to death in service but is well-liked for its multitude of uses. The history of this utilitarian car can be traced back to the earliest years of the industry. the Baltimore & Ohio, an industrial pioneer credited with countless "firsts," placed the original gondola in service in 1830. For many years the gondola remained basically the same in design and character. If you come across a gondola moving within a train do not be surprised if its sides are bowed outwards from all of the heavy use it has experienced over the years. Likewise, the car in its most basic form is rarely ever maintained more than required to keep it in service. This usually means that as long as the bearings, truck assemblies, knuckle couplers, air-hoses, and other basic over-the-road equipment functions as intended little more is ever done.The type GS cars were common among western roads, which used them in lieu of coal hoppers. With up to sixteen drop doors, type GS gondolas were a maintenance headache and had fallen out of favor by the sixties. Their numbers declined as many were rebuilt into type GB gondolas with solid floors or modified with bulkheads or racks for handling pulpwood. The AAR designations for various gondola types are listed below:GA- A car with fixed sides and ends and drop bottom, consisting of doors hinged crosswise of car to dump between rails. This type of car was most common on eastern railroads.GB- A car with fixed sides, fixed or drop ends and solid bottom, suitable for mill trade.GD- A car with fixed or drop ends, solid bottom and sides equipped with doors for dumping.GH- A car with fixed sides, drop ends and drop bottom, consisting of doors hinged at center sills to dump outside of rails.GRA- A car with fixed sides and ends and level bottom with one or more hoppers dumping outside of rails.GS- A car having fixed sides and ends and drop bottom, consisting of doors hinged at center sills to dump outside of rails. This type of car was common on western roads, which used them to haul coal.GT- A car having high fixed sides and ends and solid bottom, suitable for unloading coal on dumping machines only, but not suitable for mill trade. Monon Railroad history is tied to Indiana state history. Imagine a meandering Midwestern railway constructed through difficult, sparsely settled territory and soon bankrupt as a result, discovering upon completion that it had been built between the wrong cities. It would attempt to rectify early mistakes through expensive acquisitions of adjoining railroads, and trackage rights on others, struggling to compete against larger systems on its two primary routes while encountering only marginal success in originating traffic. On several occasions it would achieve varying degrees of prosperity, only to repeatedly succumb to bankruptcy. Then, after World War II it would enjoy improbable salvation and modernization under one of the industry’s most gifted leaders — only to be merged out of existence three decades later and largely dismembered.That seemingly implausible scenario accurately summarizes the highs-and-lows history of Indiana’s beloved Monon Railroad. It was an engaging Monon Railroad history is tied to Indiana state history. Imagine a meandering Midwestern railway constructed through difficult, sparsely settled territory and soon bankrupt as a result, discovering upon completion that it had been built between the wrong cities. It would attempt to rectify early mistakes through expensive acquisitions of adjoining railroads, and trackage rights on others, struggling to compete against larger systems on its two primary routes while encountering only marginal success in originating traffic. On several occasions it would achieve varying degrees of prosperity, only to repeatedly succumb to bankruptcy. Then, after World War II it would enjoy improbable salvation and modernization under one of the industry’s most gifted leaders — only to be merged out of existence three decades later and largely dismembered.That seemingly implausible scenario accurately summarizes the highs-and-lows history of Indiana’s beloved Monon Railroad. It was an engaging melodrama, one that entertained Hoosiers and frustrated investors for 124 years.In 1847, the starting point of merchant James Brooks’ New Albany & Salem Rail Road was Indiana’s then largest city, a key port across the Ohio River from Louisville, Ky. Brooks had reasoned that a railroad built on the grade of a stillborn highway project from New Albany to Salem, the next county seat north, could profitably carry finished goods into the developing Hoosier hinterlands and return a steady supply of raw materials to waiting river packets. By 1851 the fledging enterprise had completed 35 miles of curving trackage between its namesake towns. Brooks then revealed plans to extend his pioneer road to the Lake Michigan docks of Michigan City, 288 miles from the Ohio River.In 1859, after new management took control, the NA&S was renamed Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway, a title embracing two emerging metropolises the company desperately needed to serve if it were to survive. Two decades of dormancy and two more foreclosures followed before the LNA&C acquired the equally struggling Chicago & Indianapolis Air Line Railway in 1881. The two crossed at a hamlet that had adopted the name of neighboring Monon Creek. Monon [MOE-nahn] was a Potawatomi word meaning “swift running,” a term applicable at the time to neither railroad. Nevertheless, the expanded company was soon being called “The Monon Route.” Maybe you should get the loved-one in your life a gift of jewelry while you get your Railroad item. Use combined shipping and get them shipped for one price. To see all our listing, visit: Ika's Trains and Collectables Note #1: I will combine shipping for multiple items. Please purchase the items but do *NOT* pay. I will review and calculate shipping as close as to what I have to pay. I will then forward an invoice with the adjusted shipping. If you do pay ahead of this recalculation, I will refund the shipping difference as part of preparing the items for shipment. Note #2: I want you to be happy with your purchase & would appreciate you leaving positive feedback. In the event you are not, please contact me immediately before leaving feedback so we may resolve it. Thank you. Note #3: If not previously stated item(s) come from a smoke-free environment with cats. Note #4: This is a Grandma & Grandpa shop. We have a 4-business day shipping window (this means that if you pay for your order on a Friday, it may not get shipping until the following Thursday). We do combine shipping especially when we are asked about it. 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Price: 11 USD

Location: London, Ohio

End Time: 2025-01-15T23:00:43.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD