Gondola with three axle trucks

[D&J RailRoad]

Anybody have one?

 

[Bruette]

I don't think I have even seen one.

What would it be used for? Hauling mercury?

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I'll have some pictures of mine up here in a couple days.
It will be hauling an I beam that extends beyond each end of it, a drop end gondola. It will need a couple of idler flat cars on each end.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Interesting, I've seen high sided gons that were 3 axle but not ones for steel service.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Here it is enroute to its first load. An idler flat on each end.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Assembling the I beam and mounting hardware.

 

[747flier]

Is this standard or narrow gauge? Often Narrow Gauge used lighter rail and the triple axed trucks may have been used to distribute the weight.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

No, just standard HO guage.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

What's the length on the Gon?
It's sure a "beefy looking" railcar.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I beam has been loaded and in transport.
Turns out, it only needed one idler flat on one end of the gondola.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Definitely not something you see everyday. Virginian was a big user of gondolas with 3 axle trucks for their coal trains. Those are hard to come by in model form though.

 

[kjd]

The data on the car indicates it should have a pair of 70 ton trucks under it. Must be a shop made job. Those railroaders always finding a way to get it done.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Very good KJD. Yeah, it was a shop job at the car repair and rebuild shop on the D&J Railroad.

 

[Smudge617]

Looks very good Ken, great work as always, but I think having an idler flat in front and the I beam centered would be more realistic, at least to me anyway.

But as the saying goes, "your railway, your rules"

 

[D&J RailRoad]

As the beam only sticks out of the car by a few feet if centered, I figured I could offset it and use only one flat idler.
Oh, and the gon is a 65' Mill gondola kit by Walthers.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

But as the saying goes, "your railway, your rules"

Or as the polish saying goes; "your monkeys, your circus"

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Or as the polish saying goes; "your monkeys, your circus"

Or as the... ahhhh, never mind.

 

[bnsf971]

To add to the challenge, does your railroad place any operating restrictions on the car? Speed restriction when loaded, only place in a certain location in the train?

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Well ... I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night, but I would think that it would be centered even with just a short overhang on each end due to weight on the trucks .... However, still a very nice looking load!?

 

[D&J RailRoad]

I would move this carload in a general freight peddler train. No speed restrictions.