Pennsylvania Gondola 390826

Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) Gondola 390826 was built with Funaro & Camerlengo (F&C), resin kit 6530.  The resin kit contains two PRR “GS” cars with K-Brakes and decals.   George Toman gifted me with one.  Since my Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company is set in late spring 1955 this gondola when built would receive AB brakes.  The kit is designed for build of a PRR GS class or GSh sub-class gondola.  Before starting the build gathering data regarding prototype PRR gondola was required.

Data gathering began with the kit instruction sheet.  A history section of the instruction sheet states the basic GS gondola was the first all-steel gondola on the Pennsylvania Railroad.  The all steel gondola was forty feet (40”) in length with an inside length of thirty eight feet (38’) two inches (2”).   The PRR liking the initial durable design used it to construct additional variations or sub-classes of which one was the GSh.

Additional sources of data gathering were the Mainline Modeler, December 1990 and The Pennsylvania Modeler, Online Services.   These sources provided prototype photos, underbody detail drawings with brake details ( reprinted with permission in Funaro & Camerlengo instructions) and additional data needed for the build of PRR Gondola 390826, sub-class GSh.

Drawing Mainline Modeler

The PRR gondola GSh class, series 390151 - 406002, was introduced in 1943/1944 and continued until 1949.  The gondolas in this class were rebuilt from parts salvaged from GS classes, GS, GSa, GSb, GSc, and GSd.  The car features included steel sides, steel floor, fixed ends, straight sill, and fish belly underframe.   The vertical brake wheel was also kept.   In addition, the cars received shallow side sill reinforcements as well as AB type brakes.

The Pennsy Modeler, Online Services

Onto the kit build and upgrade that began as any resin car flat kit with assembly of the “basic box.”   First, the sides were checked to make sure they were the same length and they were.   A side was glued using CA (super glue used for all joints or parts install unless another adhesive specified) to an end to make an “L”.   The two “L”s were glued together to form the basic box.

Now to turn the “basic box”  into a car body, the underbody, a made sheet lead weight and the inner floor were installed.  Both the underbody and inner floor were oversize resulting in a great amount of sanding  and time if sanded by hand to get them to fit properly.   Due to the amount of material needed to be removed a bench belt sander was used to obtain the fit needed.   I strongly suggest using a dust mask if using a power sander.

Once sanding was done the underbody was installed.  The inner floor was placed on a sheet of .040” sheet lead, traced with a pencil and cut out with a utility knife to provide a weight (not in the kit) for the gondola.  The sheet lead weight was glued into the inside onto the underbody with Zap Formula 560 canopy glue.  

Sheet lead weight installed.

Before installing the inner floor or checking the weight of the car body, I installed Kadee #262 couple boxes with #148 couplers inserted with Fastenal 2-56 x 3/16 inch screws.   Accurail, ARA cast steel with spring plank trucks with InterMountain 33” metal wheels installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 1/4 screws followed.   With couplers and trucks installed the car upon being placed on a digital postal scale weighed 2.8 ounces.  And, before leaving the underbody the crossbearer cover plates (kit) were installed.

Couplers and Trucks installed.

Now the inner floor, again with Zap Formula 560 canopy glue, was installed into car body.   Corner gussets (kit) were installed to complete the car body.

Car body complete.

Car body complete.

Inner floor installed.

With the car body ready for upgrade and install of detail parts, work on the the B end was done.  First, the brake step (kit) with brackets from Tichy Train Group (Tichy) AB brake set, #3013, were installed.   A retainer valve was cast on the B car end.   The retainer line, Tichy .008 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW) was installed.   A brake shaft step was bent using Detail Associates, #2524, .010 x .030 inch flat brass bar stock and installed.  Now the brake shaft, Tichy #1102, .015 inch diameter PBW was installed.  A Tichy brake wheel ( K-brake set in kit)  install followed.

Brake step, Brake shaft and retainer line installed.

To finish the B end, grab irons were installed next.  A prototype photo of the A end was used as a guide to install the end grab irons.  The grab irons were bent from Tichy, #1101, .010” diameter PBW.  In addition, Carmer uncoupling levers, Yarmouth Model Works, #400, were installed.   A Tichy #1101, .010 diameter pin that was installed prior to the uncoupling levers to serve as a mount.  After the uncoupling levers were glued MEK Goop was used to fashion a cap for the pin mount.

Gondola photo from Mainline Modeler

Grab irons bent and installed as on prototype.

Once the B end grab irons install was finished, the side grab irons, Tichy #1101. .010” diameter PBW, were installed.  And, after side grab irons were completed A-Line sill step, #2900, style A were installed.  The A-Line steps were bent to allow one leg to be installed on the sill of the gondola while the other leg was installed on the underside of the end sill as on the prototype.

Grab irons and sill steps installed.

Sill step install.

With car body work complete, onto to the underbody work.   The brake components, drilled to accept piping with #79 drill and train line were installed as follows:

• Brake cylinder lever, Tichy K brake set in kit
• Floating (cut) lever,  Tichy K brake set in kit
• Brake rod between Brake cylinder and floating levers, Tichy #1106, .0125 PBW
• Brake lever connected to brake cylinder lever, kit
• Brake cylinder, cut from Tichy K brake unit, set #3005, in kit
• Control Valve (AB), resin Sunshine Models from parts box
• Air reservoir, unknown not in kit
• Train line, Tichy #1114, .020 diameter PBW

Underbody brake components installed.

To allow adhesive to set completely, the piping, brake rods, and other parts were installed in another modeling session as follows:

• Piping control valve to air reservoir, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
• Pipe from brake cylinder to control valve, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
• Brake lever extensions into middle of center sill, Tichy brake levers, parts box
• Brake rods, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
• Brake rod clevises, MEK Goop (plastic melted in MEK)
• Dirt collector, cut from Tichy K brake unit, set #3005, in kit
• Dirt collector pipe to train line, scrap plastic rod

Piping, brake rods and dirt collector installed.

Believing the car body was ready for the paint shop, I moved it to the paint shop.  In the paint shop the car body was cleaned with a cotton makeup swab dipped in 91% isopropyl alcohol.   When the car body was dry it was air brushed with Vallejo Grey Surface Primer 70.601.  When the primer coat was dry,  I compared the car to the prototype above.   Rats!   Blue smoke!  I forgot to add the shallow side sill reinforcements.  The car was moved back to the workbench to add the shallow side sill reinforcements made with Evergreen #8204, 2 x 4 strip styrene.

Sill reinforcement installed.

Back to the paint shop where the car body and underbody were airbrushed Vallejo Model Air Brown RLM26 71.105.  Trucks sideframes were also hand painted Vallejo Model Air Brown RLM26 71.105.

Car body airbrushed.

Car body airbrushed.

Underbody airbrushed.

Again when dry, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 for a gloss base for the kit decals.  After drying overnight, kit provided decals were applied.  I used above photo of PRR gondola 390252 for decal location.

Decals were soaked off in distilled water and applied to the car body where MicroScale Micro Set had been applied with a brush.   After the decal was applied in the Micro Set and positioned the edges had MicroScale Micro Sol applied.  Any excess solution was sucked away with the torn edge of a paper towel.  Again when dry, car body sprayed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish #70.510 to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling.  Again when dry, the car body was sprayed with Model Master Acryl #4636 (no longer manufactured),  to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering.

Decals applied.

Decals applied.

Decals applied.

After the car was painted the Accurail trucks were removed and Kadee #557 Pennsylvania 2D-F8 trucks as in above prototype photo were installed.   The Kadee trucks are sprung trucks of which I am not a fan.  Why?  I do not want the spring to move due to freight car wheel cleaning method I use and on the prototype you can not see through the spring area of the truck.   Therefore, to make eliminate spring movement and prevent viewing through the spring area of the truck I fill the spring area from the back side with MEK Goop ( plastic melted in MEK).  Prior to install the trucks were hand painted Vallejo Model Air Brown RLM26 71.105.

Pennsylvania 2D-F8 trucks installed.

One more step before putting Pennsylvania gondola 390862  in service was to weather the car with Pan Pastels.  Pan Pastels used were Paynes Grey Extra Dark applied to car body and underbody with a makeup brush, Burnt Sienna Shade 740.3 applied over rivets with micro applicator and Red Iron Oxide Extra Dark  applied lightly over lettering with micro applicator.

PRR gondola 930826 weathered.

PRR gondola 930826 weathered.

PRR gondola 930826 weathered.

PRR gondola 930826 interior weathered.

Pennsylvania gondola 390826 was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.”  A car card was made for PRR 390826, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

PRR 930826 with coil load at
M&N Freight House in Minneapolis, Minn.

PRR 930826 with coil load at
M&N Freight House in Minneapolis, Minn.

PRR 930826 with coil load at
M&N Freight House in Minneapolis, Minn.

PRR 930826 with coil load at
M&N Freight House in Minneapolis, Minn.

I want to say "Thank You" to George Toman for gifting me the F&C kit to build Pennsylvania gondola 930826.

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Lester Breuer

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