HO SCALE PROTO 2000 52’-6” DROP-END MILL GONDOLA

Description: HO SCALE PROTO 2000 52’-6” DROP-END MILL GONDOLA – ANN ARBOR #2002NEW OLD STOCK from a closed hobby store.HISTORY OF THE CAR:This style of steel mill gondola was first designed and built by the GREENVILLE STEEL CAR COMPANY for the Erie Railroad. The gondola has a 70 ton capacity with a 52’-6” bed. Its innovative design includes drop ends which allow for even longer cargo. When carrying longer loads it usually traveled with a flat car at each end. The flat cars served as “spacers” to allow room for the extended cargo. This gondola could carry just about any kind of load, from structural steel to lumber and even coal.This versatile “Greenville Design” car quickly grew in popularity. After World War II, numerous railroads purchased Greenville-style mill gondolas, and this design became the unofficial industry standard for more than 20 years. Thousands of Gondolas were owned by steel mills and hundreds more were owned by railroads. Whether in original form or modified form, many of these cars lasted into the 1970’s and some were still in revenue service as late as the early 1980’s. HISTORY OF THE ANN ARBOR RAILROAD:The Ann Arbor Railroad (reporting mark AA) was an American railroad that operated between Toledo, Ohio, and Elberta and Frankfort, Michigan (about 294 route miles) with train ferry operations across Lake Michigan.For many years the Ann Arbor was owned by the Wabash Railroad, but Wabash gave up control in 1963 as part of its absorption into the Norfolk and Western. The DT&I, by then itself owned by the giant Pennsylvania Railroad, gained control in 1963. The combined DT&I and AA were operated as independent subsidiaries of the PRR but suffered from the parent company's ill-fated 1968 merger with the New York Central. Upon the resulting Penn Central's 1970 bankruptcy, the DT&I and its Ann Arbor subsidiary were sold off to private investors.After itself going bankrupt in 1973 the Ann Arbor ceased operations as a railroad on April 1, 1976. On October 7, 1988, a new Ann Arbor Railroad began operating the portion south of Ann Arbor; the Great Lakes Central Railroad now serves the remaining portions of the line. Some sections have been abandoned: from Yuma to Elberta and Frankfort (approximately 45 miles), about 10 miles in Shiawassee County, Michigan (in three discontinuous sections), and the trackage around the now-demolished Cherry Street Station in Toledo.FEATURES OF THE MODEL: PROTO 2000’s 52’-6” Drop End Mill Gondola kit is guaranteed to add authenticity to any layout. This car was a frequent sight in interchange service, even on railroads that didn’t own these cars. Features on this model include:DREADNAUGHT ENDS: Can be positioned up or down.HANDBRAKES: Correct Lever StyleNON-MAGNETIC Blackened Metal WheelsAAR STANDARD UNDERFRAME with AB Brake system.PROTO 2000 MAGNETIC KNUCKLE COUPLERS with screw on coupler covers.STAKE / TIEDOWN DETAILS on Interior SidewallsSEPARATELY APPLIED FLOORMANY add-on detail parts.

Price: 10.99 USD

Location: Gilbert, Arizona

End Time: 2025-02-07T20:59:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: 8.75 USD