52'-6" 70 Ton Drop-End Gondola Premium Instructions
52'-6" 70 Ton Drop-End Gondola Premium Instructions
Our 52'-6" 70 Ton Drop-End Gondola is modeled after the Pennsylvania RR's G31 class gondola, the American Car & Foundry's G31a Copies, and the Bethlehem Steel version of these cars.
The Pennsylvania Railroad G31 class/American Car & Foundry All Welded cars, and the Bethlehem Steel riveted, 52’-6” 70-ton Drop-End Gondolas both trace their roots back to an earlier Pennsylvania Railroad design, the G27 class drop-end gondola. The Bethlehem riveted car was an improved, increased capacity, copy of the G27 class and earned the Association of American Railroad's standard recommended practice for gondolas of this type. Bethlehem produced these cars for several railroads. The Pennsylvania followed Bethlehem's lead and applied these improvements to their own car as well as adding all welded construction. Later, American Car & Foundry would later produce G31a copies of this Pennsy G31 car for various other railroads.
Drop-End gondolas started coming into use in the early 20th century. “Drop-End” gondolas, as their name implies, were equipped with ends that could be lowered inward to the car floor. This allowed the cars to carry loads that were longer than the cars length, such as pipe, beams, and rail sections.
Our instruction include Bothe the PRR G31/ACF version, and the Bethlehem version of this car, as well as three different loads to model for this car type.
Our premium instruction kit contains the following:
1 professionally printed instruction book with full color instructions, part list, prototype information, and building tips.
1 set of Bethlehem Steel Decal Set for optional I-Beam Load
One complete set of Ball Bearing Wheel Sets (4 axles) with black bricks and wheels. Enough to build one car. These wheel sets come fully assembled, with ball bearings pre-installed in new LEGO® Technic bricks, custom sized axles to fit the bearings, washers to prevent wheels from rubbing the bricks and causing excess friction, and new LEGO train wheels.
Why use bearings? Because ball bearings provide excellent free rolling operation. Better than stock LEGO wheel sets. Less resistance means the rail car is easier to pull. And the easier a car is to pull the less strain on locomotives, and the more cars you can pull.
All you need to provide is the LEGO bricks from your own collection. Build the car in the color of your choice, or you can purchase decals to build the car in one of the following authentic railroad paint schemes bellow.
Decals Available for the 52'-6" 70 Ton Drop-End Gondola
Baltimore & Ohio "Capitol Dome" for Bethlehem version.
Central New Jersey "1952 Scheme" for Bethlehem version.
Lehigh Valley "As Delivered Scheme" for Bethlehem version.
Reading " As Delivered Scheme" for Bethlehem version.
Reading "MOW, Maintenance Of Way" for Bethlehem version.
Western Maryland "Speed Letter" for Bethlehem Version.
Pennsylvania Railroad "Circle Keystone Scheme" for the G31/ACF G31a Version.
Pennsylvania Railroad "MOW, Maintenance Of Way" for the G31/ACF G31a version.
Delaware Lackawanna & Western "Road of Anthracite" fro the ACF G31a version.
Southern Pacific "As Delivered Scheme" for the ACF G31a version.
Wabash "Flag Scheme" for the ACF G31a version.
Western Pacific "As Delivered" for the ACF G31a version.
Extra Bethlehem Steel I-Beam Decal Set
Model by Cale Leiphart, Instructions by Cale Leiphart and Glenn Holland
By purchasing these instructions, you agree not to sell, reproduce, or distribute these instructions. You also agree not to sell or distribute the model made from these instructions.
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