ExactRail - EN-51703-1 - Gondola, 52 Foot, Thrall 2743 - Oregon Steel Mills - 5006

Model Information: Designed, engineered, and tooled in the United States, these models have factory installed Micro-Trains Line stock number 1015 couplers, narrow-style, body mounted draft gear boxes, with shank wedges, striker casting and full nut and bolt detail, ExactRail's own Barber ASF 100 Ton Ride Control trucks, CNC machined 36" metal wheel-sets with steel axles, accurate lettering styles and logotypes, razor sharp printing, and true to life paint colors.

Prototype History: Introduced by Thrall Car Manufacturing Co., in 1995, with its new interior height of 5' 6" (i.e., a 6" increase in height over the previous standard), the firm's contemporary design for a 52' 6" length 2743 cubic foot capacity gondola car took advantage of a (then) newly allowed increase in Gross Rail Loading (GRL) of 286,000 lbs, which was up from the previous limit of 263,000 lbs.

Acquired by Trinity Industries (now TrinityRail) in 2001, from 1995 to 1999, Thrall produced over 6,700 of the 2743 gondolas.

The manufacture of the 2743 design was resumed by Trinity in 2005.

Road Name History: Oregon Steel began as Gilmore Steel in 1928 when William G. Gilmore started the company. In 1987 the company became Oregon Steel Mills. Then in 1993 OSM purchased Colorado Fuel and Iron. In January 2007 Evraz Group S.A. of Russia bought OSM for $2.3 billion. Prior to this Oregon Steel was traded on the NYSE as OS.

Oregon Steel Mills, Inc. (OSM) is a Portland, Oregon, United States, based steel producer with facilities in Colorado and Alberta. In November 2006, Russian steel producer Evraz Group S.A. agreed to purchase Oregon Steel for $2.3 billion, and this was approved by U.S. regulators in January 2007. Operated as Evraz Oregon Steel Mills, Inc., the company produces items such as structural tubing, pipes, and steel rails.

In Colorado, OSM?s Rocky Mountain Steel subsidiary operates three production facilities. One facility makes rails for railroads, one rods and bars for construction, and the third plant manufactures seamless pipes. These facilities were part of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, founded in 1881 and bought by OSM in 1993.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Dedicated to creating replicas that continue to define standards for precision and authenticity, through its unique expertise in mold creation and product design, Provo, Utah based ExactRail has produced some of the industry's most acclaimed models; true benchmarks for quality over the last decade.

With the N-Scale Series, ExactRail offers precision micro-tooled replicas in 1:160 scale. Each model features fine-scale detail, expert hand-assembly and the finest finish-work in the industry. ExactRail's N-scale Series offers enthusiasts innovative small scale replicas with unprecedented quality and design.