How Did RRs Use Drop-Bottom Gondolas

 The CB&Q used drop bottom gondolas in the Southern Illinois coal fields.

Rusty

Probably the most famous use of drop bottom gondolas, was the Southern Pacifice's VERY large fleet to handle sugar beets. The SP even added high side extensions to virtually all their drop bottom gondolas in order to carry additional beets. The Colorado & Southern and Great Western Railway also handled sugar beets in drop borrow gondolas.

Both the Great Northern and Northern Pacific handled also coal in their fleets of drop bottom gondolas. I just wish that SOMEBODY would offer the extra height adaptor to correctly model the SP cars.

The MTH Premier model of the drop bottom gondola is VERY accurate, and one of the best models representing the O Scale drop bottom gondola.

Jan:

Hopper cars were in use quite early on, like the little 4-wheel jimmies used on the eastern roads in the 1850s. They were very dedicated cars for a single use. The drop-bottom gons allowed a railroad to use the car for other cargo thus increasing its value to the owner. I know the drop bottom gons were used well into the 1950s, but I haven't looked in the recent equipment registers to see if there are any still in use.  

Neil

DRGW narrow gauge(Cumbres & toltec/Durango & Silverton) used drop bottom gondolas to deliver coal to their silos. Coal dropped through bars into a pit.

I just picked up the MTH 2004, Vol. 1 catalog today, and I found none of those drop

bottom gons in it, in my first pass.  One of this site's monitors collects Alaska RR...there are Premier Passenger Alaska cars in it, including an RPO.  Did the Alaska road run

RPO's? (just wonder).

Just going by memory, but I'm pretty sure those drop bottom gondolas came out well after 2004. Have you thought about doing a "search" on the MTH site for "drop bottom gondola"?

I believe the MTH Premier drop bottom gondolas first appeared in the 2009 volume 2 catalog.

MTH had drop bottom gondolas in the catalog about 3 or for years ago. I have an IC, and at one time an NP. They are very nice cars. Atlas also made one in several road names. These cars were based on the InterMountain O scale drop bottom gondolals Atlas purchased the InterMountain O scale line of products. Although very delicate and easy to break,the InterMountain cars are very highly detailed. The Atlas cars have a little less detail, but not much, and are a little more durable.

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Richard

The Milwaukee Road used a lot of gondolas, mainly drop bottom but also regular gondolas, for hauling coal and gravel. The road had some two and three bay hoppers, but gondolas got a lot of use for these commodities. I have several MTH drop-bottom gondolas in various road names and I have gotten gravel loads for all of them. 

I think the drop-bottom gons might be good for branch-line local freights, where the customer might prefer to buy a smaller load of coal or gravel at a time. 

TYPO!!  2014 is the year for the catalog picked up today....I have another question about

this Vol. 1, 2014 MTH catalog...there are TWO complete sets of NYC Passenger cars

shown, 1938 and 1940...I can't tell any difference in them, from the illustrations,

striping or ? between the years.  Not my area of interest..just curiosity.

In addition to the C&S, and the GW, the D&RGW used a lot of drop bottom gons, and I

think Atlas? made a version of that.

You might like to post these questions on a separate "new subject" post, as I don't think the New York Central passenger car experts will answer since this whole thread is about drop bottom gondolas, and NOT NYC passenger cars.  Just a thought.

MTH recently shipped new Premier Drop Bottom Gondolas.

Andrew