LBF Company - 5430 - Gondola, Bathtub, Trinity Rotary - Conrail - 503903

Specific Item Information: Road Numbers: 503856 503857 503858 503859 503860 503861 503862 503863 503864 503865 503866 503867 503868 503869 503870 503871 503872 503873 503874 503875 503876 503877 503878 503879 503880 503881 503882 503883 503884 503885 503886 503887 503888 503889 503890 503891 503892 503893 503894 503895 503896 503897 503898 503899 503900 503901 503902 503903

Model Information: These models come with optional, user-installed weights and internal bracing.

Prototype History: There have been a number of designs of coal-hauling gondolas for todays operations. Most of the major builders have offered aluminum-bodied coal gons at one point or another. Bethlehem Steel Car made a significant introduction with its Bethgon design. This design continues with Johnstown America today. The basic design uses two longitudinal tubs between the trucks - thus adding additional cubic-foot capacity with a lower center of gravity.

In 1992, Trinity Industries introduced a similar design and called it the Aluminator. Six demonstrators were built and placed under Trinity Industries Leasing Company reporting marks (TIMX 1001-1006). This initial design was rated at a 4,400 cubic-foot capacity. Most new-built coal cars (hoppers and gondolas) are built to a standardized 53' 1" outside length. The Trinity Aluminator is no exception. The 4400 design has a 12' 7" extreme height (11' 6" inside height). What made the Aluminator unique was the way the bottom of the tubs slope down ward from the center to the ends (the Bethlehem/Johnstown design had straight bottom tubs). The body has 13 side posts each with an alternating rivet pattern. There are three internal cross braces (at the 4th, 7th and 10th side posts). Trinity's aluminum rotary dump gondola features twin longitudinal tubs located on either side of the steel center sill.

Road Name History: The Consolidated Rail Corporation, commonly known as Conrail (reporting mark CR), was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeast U.S. between 1976 and 1999. Conrail is a portmanteau of "consolidated" and "rail" from the name of the company.

The U.S. federal government created Conrail to take over the potentially profitable lines of multiple bankrupt carriers, including the Penn Central Transportation Company and Erie Lackawanna Railway. With the benefit of industry-wide regulatory requirements being reduced (via the 4R Act and the Staggers Act), Conrail began to turn a profit in the 1980s and was turned over to private investors in 1987. The two remaining Class I railroads in the East, CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), agreed in 1997 to split the system approximately equally, returning rail freight competition to the Northeast by essentially undoing the 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad that created Penn Central. Following Surface Transportation Board approval, CSX and NS took control in August 1998, and on June 1, 1999, began operating their portions of Conrail.

Brand/Importer Information: The LBF company was based in Roseburg Oregon founded by Fred Becker. LBF was the successor company to E&C Shops, also founded by Becker. LBF also did business under the name USA Plastics. USA Plastics/LBF opened for business in 1993. They produced N Scale models using toolings purchased from the E&C Company. Later, in 1998, LBF folded and the toolings were sold to Hubert's Model RR Manufacturing group which was also located in Roseburg. Hubert had been one of Becker's partners in LBF/USA Plastics. Later, when Hubert's operation folded, the toolings were acquired by InterMountain.