Tichy Train Group - 2706 - Gondola, 40 Foot, Steel, Drop Bottom - Undecorated

Model Information: These kits are molded in gray polystyrene. Trucks and Decals are not included.

Prototype History: In US railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-topped rail vehicle used for transporting loose bulk materials. All-steel gondolas date back to the early part of the 20th century. Because of their low side walls gondolas are also suitable for the carriage of such high-density cargoes as steel plates or coils, or of bulky items such as prefabricated sections of rail track.

Drop-bottom gondolas were equipped with dump doors that operated via a mechanism located in the center of the car body. The drop bottom door provided a time-saving unloading method compared to the usual, labor-intensive procedure. Instead of equipping workmen with shovels to muck out the car’s content, the lever system was used to open the doors thus immediately dumping the load on the ground. Various commodities could be carried in the drop bottom gons, but coal loadings were most common. Many coaling towers had elevated trestle style delivery ramps where the drop bottom gondolas would be spotted and workmen could simply open the dump doors to spill the contents into the coal bins. At facilities with the elevator bucket style of coal dock, a ramp was used that led up to an open grate where the coal would spill through and into the lower coal bins. The gons were “tailor made” for company service such as dumping ballast directly onto track roadbed during maintenance, as well as hauling cinders out of various engine service facilities. Handy they were!

Road Name History: Although they may be molded in color, unpainted and unlettered, undecorated products are marketed to modelers who seek to custom decorate their models for private roads and/or road and/or company names that were not commercially produced by any of the major manufacturers.

Undecorated models are frequently also unassembled or only partially assembled and required modelers to be comfortable with glue, paint and sometimes solder in order to prepare their models for display. Materials for these models can vary but often include plastic, pewter and resin. Models may or may not come with decals or other decorations such as plastic signage, railings and ladders to enhance the appearance of the final product.

Brand/Importer Information: We bring together the best of two worlds, combining the fun and reward of fine model building with the rapidly growing interest in prototype railroading, freight cars and structures, in particular. The preservation of prototype history in miniature. The key personnel at TICHY TRAIN GROUP are active model railroaders with over fifty-five years of collective experience in the hobby.

Advanced technology and old world craftsmanship combine to produce the finest plastic kits available. Since all aspects of the manufacturing procedure done in our own plant, we have complete control over the quality of out product. Our extensive research library helps us to ensure the accuracy of every detail. Our fully equipped toolroom enables us to translate the design into permanent metal tooling, using cutters ranging from three inches in diameter to as small as a human hair. Each kit may represent several thousand hours of design, engineering, template and model making, engraving and hand polishing. However, this painstaking attention to detail makes the final product speak for itself.

Our kits conform to all applicable NMRA standards and recommended practices. They accept Kadee® #5 or equivalent style couplers (not included) and we provide special molded washers to allow correct coupler height with other trucks.

Tichy is located in Alamance, North Carolina.